Pacers Sign Former Top Pick Before Knicks Game

The New York Knicks could play a former top pick when they face off against the Indiana Pacers.

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

The New York Knicks are facing the Indiana Pacers, who are getting a boost for their roster before the game.

According to NBA insider, the Pacers are signing former No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor to a 10-day contract.

Perseverance Update: Former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor — who hasn’t played in the NBA in nearly four years — will sign a 10-day contract with the Indiana Pacers, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/TuI74XMinH
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 10, 2025

Okafor, 29, was the third overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he was expected to challenge some of the top big men in the league when he came into the NBA, but things didn't exactly go according to plan.

Okafor was outshined by teammate Joel Embiid, so he did not fit with the Sixers and was traded in the middle of his third season in the league to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Chicago native then played two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans before a cup of coffee with the Detroit Pistons during the 2020-21 season.

Okafor hasn't been in the NBA since, but he has been grinding through the G League and overseas for a return to the league. Now, he gets that chance with the Pacers, who have seen him grow a lot with the G League's Indiana Mad Ants this season.

Okafor could make his Pacers debut tomorrow against the Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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