Apr 29, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jahlil Okafor (13) holds the ball during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

Ex-Sixer Signs Contract with Team in Japan

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Declan Harris | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 12:48 PM ET

As the NBA offseason continues to move along, teams around the league are making moves to get themselves set up for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign, with some players doing the same thing. One of these players would be former Philadelphia 76ers prospect Jahlil Okafor, who is taking his talents to Levanga Hokkaido in the B.League, the top division of Japan's Basketball Association, as reported by Scott Agness.

Former Mad Ants center Jahlil Okafor has signed with Levanga Hokkaido in Japan for the 2025-26 season.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 7, 2025

Okafor's most recent stint in the NBA sphere came with the Indiana Mad Ants, the G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers, during the 2024-25 season, where he averaged 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. With the Mad Ants, Okafor would make it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where he'd be eliminated by the Osceola Magic.

This is a stark comparison from where the former Duke star was a decade ago when he was selected by the 76ers with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, being taken over the likes of Devin Booker, Kristaps Porzingis, and Myles Turner, amongst others.

Okafor's rookie campaign saw the then-20-year-old average 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game before suffering from a season-ending meniscus tear in early March.

Despite this, his production numbers were enough to see him finish fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, which would be awarded to Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Following this, Okafor's production numbers would progressively drop, eventually resulting in the former lottery pick being included in a trade package with the Brooklyn Nets in December 2017.

Following his single-reason run in the Barclays Center, Okafor would move around the league, finding game time, most notably with the New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons, with two short blips in the G League scattered throughout.

Okafor's upcoming campaign in Japan won't be his first stint abroad, having spent single-season runs in the Liga ACB with Casademont Zaragoza in Spain, Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico, or multiple seasons with the Zhejiang Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association.