Elton Brand signing with Philadelphia 76ers to mentor Jahlil Okafor

Okafor was rumored to have been held at gunpoint by a weapon-wielding citizen outside a Philadelphia club in October while being pulled over for speeding at an exhorbitant pace of 108 miles per hour on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which connects the city to the state of New Jersey, a month later, underlining the 76ers need to provide him with a disciplinary presence.

Former No. 1 overall draft pick in 1999 Elton Brand is putting off retirement to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brand has some valuable postseason experience as well, as a leader for the 76ers squads during the end of the last decade.

Brand announced his retirement in August after a 16-year career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and the Sixers.

“I think with Jerry’s connections with Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] and [Brand’s agent] David Falk, that [helped] our desire to maybe bring in more senior voices in the program”, Sixers coach Brett Brown said of the signing of Brand, who played for Krzyzewski at Duke.

Tabbed the 2000 co-NBA Rookie of the Year, Brand twice earned All-Star selections (2002, 2006) during his 16-season run in the NBA.

The truth is, my decision to return to the National Basketball Association isn’t about money, and it isn’t about rings.

The 36-year-old forward featured in 36 games for the Atlanta Hawks last season, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

This being Philly, Elton Brand was asked point blank: What are you doing this for? That’s what Sam Hinkie and I talked about when he approached me about joining the team, and what has me so excited about this opportunity. “But I do believe my experience and wisdom can benefit him and my other young teammates”.

It will not include playing 35 minutes a game. It’s about communicating with them like men, starting to grow together, and - hopefully, eventually - winning some ballgames. On Christmas Eve, the Sixers traded for veteran point guard Ish Smith, who immediately helped the team win two games in his first three appearances.

It’s not so much that I failed the guys I was tasked with mentoring over the years; it’s that I barely even tried. He never lived up to the team’s expectations of helping them contend in the Eastern Conference and, after the 2011-12 season, the Sixers used the NBA’s amnesty clause to waive him. The rookie out of UNLV averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14 appearances.