Jahlil Okafor Fined for 108 MPH Speeding Ticket: Latest Details, Comments
Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor was fined $439 after he was cited for driving 108 mph in a 45 mph zone on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on Oct. 19, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Michael Boren.
The plea deal offered reportedly does not involve community service, but Okafor's lawyer, Andrew Smith, told Boren he believed the city of Camden, New Jersey, rejected the initial plea deal to try to include a community service stipulation.
In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN.com's Robert Sanchez, Okafor opened up regarding the incident that occurred while he was driving his Mercedes-Maybach.
"A friend and I were leaving, and I was on the bridge," Okafor said. "It was open. Oh, man. My car just goes really fast without kinda knowing. I was obviously speeding. It wasn't a super-bad situation. I got pulled over by the police officer. He gave me a ticket. It's obviously not the safest thing."
TMZ shared video of the encounter from the police car's dashboard camera:
During what's proved to be a turbulent rookie season, Okafor was suspended two games after video emerged via TMZ Sports of his involvement in a fight outside of a Boston bar. Reports also surfaced of Okafor allegedly trying to gain entrance to a Philadelphia bar with a fake ID, per CSNPhilly.com's John Gonzalez, but he denied those allegations.
"That wasn't true," Okafor said, per Sanchez. "It was like people were making stuff up. A fake ID? That's a place I go to all the time to get food. What I was going through, to have that out? I was upset about it. It was fuel to the fire."
Since his suspension, Okafor has seemingly turned a corner. From his return on Dec. 7 to the Feb. 10 game against the Sacramento Kings, the rookie averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 51.9 percent from the field.
Though Okafor has acquitted himself nicely on the court, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis have generated the most Rookie of the Year buzz.
Entering Friday night's showdown against the New Orleans Pelicans, Okafor was tied with Towns for the highest scoring average (17.1 points per game) among rookies while posting an above-average player efficiency rating of 16.88.
With past transgressions behind him, Okafor should be able to turn his focus toward developing more defensive savvy and a smoother mid-range jump shot as the regular season comes to a close.
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