Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor, who was involved in an altercation with a heckler outside a Boston bar, will not be investigated by police for now.
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In a video released by TMZ Sports Thursday (Friday, Manila time) the 19-year old Okafor was outside Storyville Boston nightclub when the incident happened. A scuffle broke out, and the man identified as Okafor is seen punching a man.
A source close to Okafor told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman that Thursday’s altercation was prompted by taunting about the 76ers’ dismal record. A Sixers spokesman stated the club was “aware of the report, & we’re at present working to collect further info”.
“We’ve heard some things, but in fairness to everybody here, there’s not much more we’re going to comment on, at this point”, Brown said.
Okafor said he reacted to heckling about the 0-16 Sixers, the only team in the National Basketball Association without a win.
Wednesday night reportedly wasn’t the first time Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor was involved in an incident with hecklers.
The Sixers’ next game is Friday night in Houston against the Rockets.
Based on their sport science research, the Sixers chose to stay overnight in Boston instead of traveling to Texas immediately after the Celtics game.
The victim said Okafor “struck him with a closed fist and knocked him to the ground”, and he suffered a cut above his eye, which required stitches, police said. “I remember Isaiah 1/8Thomas3/8 saying, ‘Man, they’re talking smack.’ They had the right to talk smack, because they were beating us, so Isaiah was like, ‘We have to step up right here, fellas, ‘ and that’s what we tried to do….”
This is a change from earlier reports Friday, which said the Boston police wasn’t planning on investigating the incident. He is averaging over 18 points a game with over eight rebounds per contest to this point.
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Okafor’s three-pointer put the 76ers 80-75 ahead with three minutes left, but the Celtics bagged nine unanswered points to secure the win. I’m not here to sound all self-righteous about how Okafor made a disgusting mistake, especially since he was being berated by a few drunk Celtics fans (which lead to his selfish actions). Whenever a situation like this occurs, it just leaves a awful feeling in my stomach (and I’m sure the same can be said for others who follow the NBA).
