With the NBA draft right around the corner, now is the time to look at some past drafts and see what the Philadelphia 76ers have done in their history. The Sixers have selected some big-time players in the past who have become an important part of the fabric of the franchise’s history.

This edition focuses on the 2015 draft as the Sixers held the No. 3 pick as they looked to move forward. With that selection, Philadelphia took Duke big man Jahlil Okafor as there was not a Joel Embiid showing just yet.

Okafor was very good as a rookie as he averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds on a Sixers team that went 10-72. He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting and was able to show a lot of production and promise on the floor. Overall, he played 105 games across three seasons in Philadelphia before being sent to the Brooklyn Nets early in 2017-18 with the emergence of Embiid.

Okafor played 26 games for the Nets before playing three years for the New Orleans Pelicans and a season with the Detroit Pistons in 2020-21. He was out of the league for three years before playing a game for the Indiana Pacers in the 2024-25 season.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers draft history: Jahlil Okafor selected No. 3 overall in 2015