Okafor has been in the gym training and working on his conditioning. He’s only coming back when he feels the time is right.
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When last we saw Emeka Okafor, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns from the Washington Wizards in 2013 after the worst season of his career was ended by a herniated disk in his neck.
Forget the fact that he hasn’t played in an National Basketball Association game in over three years.
For his career, he has impressive averages of 12.3 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and 1.7 blocks per game.
According to Jackie MacMullen of ESPN, Okafor wishes to join a contending team next season in either December or January.
Okafor, 33, hasn’t played since the 2012-13 season when a herniated disc in his neck forced him out of the game. Okafor was thinking about a comeback in 2015, but he made a decision to wait a year.
He never averaged more than the 15.1 points per game that he totaled in his rookie season, but averaged a double-double for 5 straight seasons from 2004-2005 to 2008-2009.
Before a run with the Wizards, Okafor had stops with the then-Charlotte Bobcats, who drafted him second overall in 2004, and the then-New Orleans Hornets.
Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports cited Okafor’s former college coach Jim Calhoun as having high praises for the former CT standout, saying that he is still “in great shape” to compete but felt unprepared for a comeback. “He doesn’t need it”, Calhoun said. This is a kid who graduated with a 3.9 GPA.
“He had offers last season from teams for $6-7 million to play just a portion of the season, but you have to know Emeka”.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and the Golden State Warriors were in contact with Okafor before he opted to delay his return. The Warriors replaced them with Zaza Pachulia and David West while also drafting center Damian Jones at the end of the first round.
If Dewayne Dedmon isn’t able to earn consistent minutes in San Antonio, the Spurs could be an interesting landing spot for Okafor, as well.
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The biggest hurdle for Okafor will be to prove to teams he’s both healthy and durable.
