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Jahlil Okafor, NBA Champion?
Published:
Had no clue:
The tweet is from May 28th, so he’s four wins away now. If the Pacers clip the Thunder, Jahlil Okafor is an NBA champion, I think. Apparently the decision on how many players get a ring is an organizational choice. Okafor is one of 22 Indianapolis players to see the floor this season, down at the very bottom of the list with James Wiseman (5 minutes), Tristen Newton (8 minutes), and James Johnson (37 minutes).
For what it’s worth, watching the Nuggets ring ceremony and doing some assorted Googling, Denver gave everybody on that team a ring. That included Jack White and Peyton Watson, who played less than 200 minutes that season. They also gave one to Villanova’s Collin Gillespie, who did not log a minute due to his leg injury, but was on a two-way contract throughout the entirety of the 2022-2023 season. Former Sixer Ish Smith also won a ring with the Nuggets.
In 2024, it was similar with the Celtics, who handed rings to JD Davison, Drew Peterson, and legendary 76er Jaden Springer.
To be transparent, I had no idea Okafor was back in the United States. He had a cup of coffee with the Pistons before going to China, Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico. He wound up back here with the Indiana Mad Ants in Fort Wayne, and then signed a 10-day contract with the Pacers in February and that’s when got those minutes, in a 128-115 loss to the Knicks.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com