Former Auburn standout Chuma Okeke returned to the NBA on Friday night in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 125-112 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

After signing a 10-day contract with the 76ers on Friday, Okeke had one rebound in 2:11 of court time in his first NBA appearance since April 27.

Philadelphia signed the 6-foot-6 forward from the Westchester Knicks, the NBA Gatorade League affiliate of the New York Knicks.

In 33 games with Westchester this season, Okeke averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocked shots.

The 76ers had two openings to fill on their roster after deals at the NBA trade deadline, which was on Thursday.

Okeke signed with New York as an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 2, but he was waived by the Knicks on Oct. 19.

Okeke had 20 points and 11 rebounds in Auburn’s 97-80 victory over North Carolina when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during an NCAA tournament Sweet 16 game on March 29, 2019.

The injury caused Okeke to miss the entire 2019-20 NBA season after being drafted at No. 16 by the Orlando Magic.

In the fifth game of his NBA career, Okeke sustained a bone bruise on his left knee and missed 16 games. Then he missed the final 10 games of the 2020-21 season because of a sprained ankle as he played 45 games in that campaign.

After playing in 70 of Orlando’s 82 games in the 2021-22 season, Okeke got into only 27 in the 2022-23 campaign. In December 2022, Okeke underwent a chondroplasty, a surgical procedure to repair cartilage in a joint, on his left knee.

Last season, Okeke averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.5 minutes in 47 games for Orlando.

In 190 NBA regular-season games across five seasons, Okeke has averaged 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.