Dating back to the 2015 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, Jahlil Okafor made headlines as one of the top prospective rookies coming in this year.
That somehow sparked his popularity, so many were surprised that he dropped to the third pick when the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers took in Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell.
He landed in Philadelphia 76ers and has honestly made a good account of himself despite not yet tasting victory as a professional. Nevertheless, Okafor has been in the headlines lately, although it isn't for something that he can really be proud off.
Everything started with the Boston melee which somehow opened a can full of worms. Suddenly, there were cases one after the other that happened even before that, including a gun-pointing incident at a local Philadelphia nightclub.
The latest was, of course, Okafor being pulled over for driving at 108 miles per hour and hopefully, nothing follows after these.
With a dark start to his professional career, Okafor knows he has to clean up his act and hopefully, he holds true to his word that he will do such immediately.
"Going forward I don't want to be a distraction for my team and am grateful for the support and guidance those close to me are giving," Okafor was quoted saying via TMZ.
At only 19, the unfortunate series of events seem to be nothing out of ordinary for boys his age, but the fact is that he holds a responsibility of being a role model now since he is a professional basketball player.
On the court, he does things that serve as an example to the younger generation but he gets to be watched well beyond the basketball court. The sooner he cleans up his act and gets things together, the better.
And maybe, just maybe, his concentration and focus could spell a difference for the Sixers who are still looking for that precious first win of the 2015–16 NBA season, not to mention Okafor's first as an NBA player.
