September 08, 2015

President Obama praises Jahlil Okafor at White House

Sixers rookie joins fellow Duke players honored for National Championship win

By Daniel Craig
PhillyVoice Staff

For Sixers fans, the anticipation of seeing rookie center Jahlil Okafor play a meaningful NBA game may be overwhelming, considering the delay in seeing their last two big men hit the court.

While the regular season is more than a month away, one particularly powerful person reminded Philly's faithful why they should be excited about the ex-Duke star.

The Blue Devils stopped by the White House on Tuesday to be honored for their National Championship victory this past season.

In his praise of the team, President Barack Obama highlighted Okafor's contribution to their title, noting that both he and the "soft-spoken" center call Chicago home.

"[Okafor's] size and footwork bent defenses in a way people hadn't seen in a very long time," Obama said.

Watch his remarks below (Okafor comments are around the 4:00 mark):

Sixers fans, of course, would like to see Okafor return to the White House as a professional player. Yet considering the team is still in rebuilding mode, that probably won't happen while Obama is in office.