The Sixer Sense
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Progress of the Process: Fights, Wins, Losses, and A Shining New Face

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Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert (17) battles for the ball on the floor against Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) and forward Jerami Grant (39) and guard Isaiah Canaan (0) during the first half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jahlil Okafor Gets Into A Fight After Playing the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics give Philadelphia fans another reason to hate them, right? Not only are the Celtics a rival of the Sixers, but one fan acted insufferable and goaded Jahlil into physically confronting them (to be fair, this is my biased narrative; I swear I’ll be even-keeled from now on!). For some context, earlier in the night the Sixers lost to the Celtics in a close game where the Sixers saw a late lead disappear. At the time, the Sixers were still searching for their first win, 0-16, and were close to trying the worst start in NBA history. Frustrations were mounting.

At the game, an unruly fan heckled and taunted Jahlil and eventually followed Jahlil and teammate Christian Wood when they went out in Boston after the game. The incident escalated after a group of women declined to give the Sixer teammates their phone numbers, with the fight happening outside of the nightclub Storyville. Two videos were taken, which are still debated to be the same or different fights, of which a person who appears to be Jahlil punches out another person, likely the unruly Celtics fan. The fight is currently under investigation by officials.

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Let’s get this out of the way: This is not a good look for the team and Jahlil, to which Jahlil acknowledged by saying how embarrassed he is by the situation. Not only did Jahlil’s image take a hit, but the Sixers as an organization came under fire after the news came out, giving more ammunition for detractors to rail against the process. “Did creating a losing culture make Okafor lash out?” “Where is the veteran presence to show the young players how to conduct themselves?”

While what happened was a PR disaster, the response by Jahlil and the team was swift and contrite. Jahlil tweeted out an apology shortly after the videos came out.

The team also suspended Jahlil after the second video was released, likely punishing him for getting into the fight. You could argue that both of these were obvious responses to what happened, but the Sixers took it further by reportedly providing Jahlil with a bodyguard to accompany him when he goes out. This is a great solution because it doesn’t restrict a player like a curfew would, and it is also the first time I have seen a team care enough their player to give them added protection. Because you never know what can happen especially with young men (alcohol, partying, fist fights are part of the experience), having someone to make sure things don’t get too far is key. More teams should be doing this with their players!

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