Jahlil Okafor is not among the two dozen Duke basketball products in the NBA this year. In fact, the 2014-15 Duke basketball one-and-done and national champion hasn’t been on an active NBA contract during the regular season since 2020-21.

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But as the 28-year-old Chicago native recently noted in introducing himself as a member of the Indiana Mad Ants in the G League, he hasn’t given up on a return to the game’s biggest stage.

“Priority No. 1 is to get back to the NBA,” Okafor, who boasts career averages of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds across his 247 NBA outings, says in the above video. “First and foremost, I’m a scorer. I’m one of the best low-post scorers still to this day. I’m a veteran, so I have a lot of experience in this league.

“And I’m gonna be a leader for the [Indiana Mad Ants] and try to be dominant on both ends of the floor…”

Boston Celtics superstar and 2016-17 Duke basketball standout forward Jayson Tatum chimed in with the following show of support this week, endorsing Okafor’s assertion that he’s “still” a premier bucket-getter down low:

Through eight appearances this season with the Indiana Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers’ G League affiliate, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Okafor is averaging 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 67.4 percent from the field and 79.2 percent at the charity stripe.

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