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Report: 76ers' Jahlil Okafor stopped for going 108 mph on bridge

By The Sports Xchange
Former Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Oakfor. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Former Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Oakfor. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

The off-the-court incidents continue to grow for Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday that Okafor was stopped by police on the Ben Franklin Bridge about three weeks ago for going 108 mph. The bridge spans the Delaware River and connects Philadelphia and Camden, N.J.

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Going over 40 mph on the bridge is considered reckless driving, according to the report.

This news comes days after it was revealed that Okafor had been involved with two altercations while leaving nightclubs.

Okafor took to Twitter on Sunday for a series of tweets to state "I own my choices" and that he "doesn't want to be a distraction for my team" going forward.

"I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else ever could and I'm not proud of some of my decisions over the last few months," Okafor wrote. "I own my choices both personally and now publicly. At this point I am cooperating and respecting the process I have to go through.

"Going forward I don't want to be a distraction for my team and am grateful for the support and guidance those close to me are giving. I am 100% focused on my responsibility to the League, my teammates and fans."

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Boston police have begun to investigate a fight involving Okafor that took place outside a nightclub early Thursday morning. Police said a man filed a report claiming that he was the victim. The man said Okafor knocked him to the ground and caused a cut above his eye that required stitches.

The 6-foot-11, 275-pound Okafor was shown in a video tumbling to the ground as a man tried to punch him in the back of the head. The skirmish broke up and no arrests were made.

Okafor, 19, addressed the Boston incident with the media on Friday.

"It was definitely dumb on my part," Okafor said. "It's something that I am embarrassed about. (I'm) still dealing with the league and the team."

In October, a heckler pointed a gun at Okafor's head following a verbal exchange at a Philadelphia club, the Inquirer reported Saturday.

Okafor, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, is averaging 18.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

The Sixers have lost 27 straight games dating to last season for the longest losing streak in major U.S. professional sports history, passing the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976 to 1977. The previous record was also matched by the 76ers in 2013-14.

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The 76ers faced the Grizzlies in Memphis on Sunday.

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