- Victor Oladipo
- HT/WT: 6'4, 213 lbs
- Birthdate: 5/4/1992 (30)
- College: Kentucky
- Draft Info: 2013: rd 1, pk 2 (ORL)
- Status: Active
Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo was on born May 4, 1992 is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He played college basketball for Indiana Indiana State and was named Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year by Sporting News in the 2012-2013 season, Co-NABC Defensive Player of the Year, and was named by USBWA and Sporting News . That year, he also received the Adolf Rupp Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top players in the men’s NCAA Division I basketball.
Table of Contents
Victor Oladipo Early Life
Oladipo was selected by the Orlando Magic with the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and was subsequently selected to the NBA All-Rookie 1st Team. He was traded to the OKC Thunder in 2016 and then to the Indiana Pacers in 2017. He became an NBA All-Star for the first time, led the league in steals, and was named to the All-Defensive 1st Team and All-NBA First Team. The All-NBA Third Team won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in his first season in Indiana. Despite an injury-riddled 2018-2019 season, including a season-ending injury in January 2019, Oladipo was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for the second straight year. Oladipo was traded to the Houston Rockets in January 2021, only to be traded to the Heat just two months later. After just four games with Miami, he underwent season-ending surgery and will be back in action in March 2022.
Victor Oladipo was born in Silver Spring in Maryland and grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. His mother, Joan Amanze Oladipo, was a nurse and his father, Christopher Oladipo, was an immigrant from Nigeria. He’s parents moved to the United States in 1985, where they married. Oladipo has three sisters, Christine (1986), Kendra (1990), who was deaf in 2nd grade, and Victoria the twin sister.
Olidapo played high school basketball at DeMatha High School, also in Hyattsville after playing CYO basketball at St. Jerome Academy in Hyattsville, Maryland. As a senior, he averaged 11.9 points, 3.6 blocks amd 10.3 rebounds per game. Olidapo led DeMatha to a 32-4 record and the Washington Catholic Games and City Championships. Oladipo was named to the Washington Post’s 2010 All-Around First Team and WCAC First Team. Rivals.com ranks him 144th overall and 41st in his class, while Scout.com ranks him 39th and ESPN ranks him 53rd.
College Career
He chose to play basketball at Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in sports communication broadcasting, and turned down the offers from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, Xavier and others. Of his commitment to Indiana, he said, “Wherever you go, it’s like a basketball vibe…Bloomington, Indiana is a basketball town. It’s perfect.”
In 2010-11, Oladipo appeared in 32 games (five starts) and averaged 7.4 points, 1.06 steals in 18.0 minutes and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting .547 from the field. He made his first career start on Dec. 27 against Penn State and finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists on 5-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes.
As a sophomore in 2011-12, Oladipo averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds (47.1 percent from the field, 75 percent from the free-throw line) in 26.7 minutes per game. Called Indiana’s “most improved player this season” by some commentators, he is often called the team’s best defender. The team was the No. 4 seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament and defeated New Mexico State in the second round. After beating VCU in the third round, the Indians lost to eventual national champion Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen.
During the 2012-2013 season, Oladipo emerged as one of the biggest stars in the country despite the brilliance of Indiana’s roster. Mid-season, ESPN’s Eamonn Brennn wrote: “In 2.5 seasons in Bloomington, Oladipo has gone from being a raw athletic sample to being a defensive specialist/energy glue guy — he’s got the He was greeted by IU fans in front of him. After a home dunk, usually after a steal of his own making — into a sudden, amazing, true college star.” Partly thanks to Oladipo , Indiana Indiana finished the 2012-13 season as an outright Big Ten champion. In the end of the regular season, He was fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (61.4) and was on track to be the best by any guard since the 1996-97 season. Among the finalists for the Wooden Award, he has the highest net rating, which is the difference between the points produced and the points allowed per 100 possessions. Oladipo is scoring 42 more points per 100 possessions than he’s allowed.
In the 2012-13 season, Oladipo played in 36 games and started, averaging 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.17 steals per game. By the end of his junior year, Oladipo won numerous awards. He was named Sports News Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year, National Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-American by USBWA and Sporting News. Among conference honors, he was named a Big Ten All-NBA First Team by coaches and the media and was named a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Professional career
Orlando Magic (2013–2016)
On April 9, 2013, Oladipo announced during a news conference with Tom Clint that he had decided to forgo his senior season in Indiana to enter the NBA draft 2013.
When the 2013 rookie class held its annual photo shoot and filled out its NBA.com rookie survey, the class named Oladipo Defensive Player of the Year, 2013-14 Rookie of the Year (with C.J. McCollum), Favorite Has the best career (with Kelly Olynyk) and the second most athletic (behind Tony Mitchell).
On December 3, 2013, Oladipo had his first career triple-double with 26 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in a double-overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. 76ers rookie Michael Carter-Williams also recorded his 1st career triple double in the same game, marking the 1st and only time in NBA history that two rookies have combined in the same game. Three pairs. The last time 2 players recorded their first career triple-doubles in the same game was on March 14, 1964, with the Detroit Pistons’ Donny Butcher and Ray Scott (who were not rookies). It’s also the first time that Caron Butler and Baron Davis have had a triple-double in the same game since November 23, 2007. In February, Oladipo competed in the Rising Stars Challenge and the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. Oladipo continued to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Carter Williams.
Oladipo was exclude indefinitely after suffering a facial fracture during training the previous day on October 24, 2014. Two days later, the Magic exercised the third-year team option on Oladipo’s rookie contract, extending the contract through the 2015-16 season. He returned from an injury wearing a face mask on Nov. 14 against the Milwaukee Bucks. In 25 mins off the bench, he had 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in a 101-85 win. During the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend, Oladipo participated in the Rising Stars Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest, finishing second behind Zach LaVine in the Slam Dunk Contest. Oladipo scored a career high 38 points on 15-of-25 shooting in a loss to the Suns on March 4, 2015.
The Magic exercised the fourth-year team option on Oladipo’s rookie contract on October 25, 2015, extending the contract through the 2016-17 season. 5 days later, he had his 2nd career triple-double with 21 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds in a double-overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into double overtime. In the 1st 12 games of the season, Oladipo averaged just 12.8 points. Head coach Scott Skiles has Oladipo on the bench for the Magic’s Nov. 25 game against the New York Knicks. After that performance, Oladipo continued to come off the bench, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks in his first eight games off the bench. On Jan. 4, he started for the Magic for the first time since Nov. 23. In 34 minutes of playing time, he had a team-high 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and 2 steals in the loss to the Pistons. He scored a career high 45 points in a 109-103 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 18, becoming the ninth player in franchise history to score 40 points, and the only player since Aaron in December 2013. The first Magic player to do this since Afflalo. Oladipo missed the final 3 games of the season with a concussion.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2016–2017)
On June 23, 2016, Oladipo was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with the draft rights of Ersan Ilyasova and Domantas Sabonis in exchange for Serge Ilya. Bacca. He made his debut for the OKC Thunder in the season opener on Oct. 26, scoring ten points in 26 minutes as a starter in a 103-97 win over the 76ers. On Oct. 31, he signed a four-year, $84 million extension with the Thunder. A right wrist injury in middle of December forced Oladipo to miss nine straight games. He returned on Dec. 31, scoring 15 points over the Los Angeles Clippers. On March 7, 2017, He returned to the starting lineup after missing 6 games with back spasms in a 126-121 loss to Blazers and scored 16 points.
Indiana Pacers (2017–2021)
2017–18 season
Oladipo and Sabonis were traded to the Pacers for Paul George on July 6, 2017. In the season opener on Oct. 18, Oladipo had 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists in a Pacers debut in a 140-131 win over Brooklyn Nets. On Oct. 25, he scored a game-high 35 points on 18-of-11 shooting in a 114-96 loss to his old club, the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Oct. 29, he had 23 points and five assists and hit a step-back 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in Indiana’s 97-94 victory over the Spurs. Olidapo was subsequently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the Oct. 23-29 games. On Dec. 10, he had a career-high 47 points, plus seven rebounds and six assists, leading the Pacers to a 126-116 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets. Olidapo was subsequently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the Dec. 4-10 games. On January 23, 2018, he was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Reserve. In a 109-104 win against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 23, Oladipo extended his streak of at least 1 steal to 56 games, breaking a tie with Chris Paul and Gary Payton to become The sixth-longest streak in NBA history.
In the Pacers’ first-round playoff game over the Cavaliers, In a 98-80 win Oladipo scored 32 points. He became the 4th player in Pacers history to score at least 30 points and six 3-pointers in the playoffs, joining Reggie Miller, Chuck Posen and Paul George. In Game six, Oladipo recorded his first career playoff triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a 121-87 victory that helped the Pacers to clinch a run. Game 7. The Pacers lost Game 7. In the playoffs though, Oladipo had 30 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.
On June 25, Oladipo was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2017-18 season. Oladipo is averaging 23.1 points (ninth in the NBA), 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and leads the NBA in steals with 2.4 per game. He hit career highs in nearly every statistical category. In 2018, He was named to the All-NBA 3rd Team and All-NBA Defensive First Team.
2018–19 season
On November 3, 2018, Oladipo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds on a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left in Indiana’s 102-101 comeback victory over the Boston Celtics. Against the Atlanta, Oladipo left the game with a right knee injury in the first quarter on November 17. He missed eleven games due to his injury and returned on December 12. On Jan. 4, he scored 36 points and hit a 3-pointer over the top of the arc with 0.3 seconds only left in overtime to improve the Pacers’ record to a 119–116 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Five days later, he underwent a successful operation. Despite the injuries, Oladipo was selected as the Eastern Conference All-Star backup.
2019–20 season
The Indiana Pacers announced that Oladipo had been assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants pending his knee recovery on November 12, 2019; he was recalled to the Pacers the same day after training with the Mad Ants .
He returned to the NBA after 371 days of injury on January 29, 2020. Coming off again the bench for the Indiana Pacers, he scored nine points in 21 minutes, including a tying 3-pointer, in an overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. After their game, an emotional Oladipo dedicated the footage to Kobe Bryant and the eight others who died in a helicopter crash in California three days earlier.
Oladipo initially announced he would be out for the NBA season restart, but finally committed to play after his quadriceps continued to recover.
Houston Rockets (2021)
Oladipo was traded to the Rockets as part of a four-team deal that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets on January 16, 2021. He made his debut two days later, with 32 points and nine assists in a 125-120 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Oladipo turned down a two-year, up to $45.2 million extension in February 2021, the most the Rockets could give him. Oladipo played in only 20 games with the Rockets, averaging 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game.
Miami Heat (2021–present)
Oladipo was traded to the Miami Heat for Avery Bradley on March 25, 2021, Kelly Olynyk and a 2022 draft pick. He made his debut on April 1 in a 116-109 win over the Golden State Warriors, where he had six points, three rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes. On May 13, Oladipo underwent season-ending surgery to repair his right quadriceps tendon.
On August 7, 2021, Oladipo signed a one-year extension with the Heat, the minimum contract for a veteran. He returned from injury on March 7, 2022, with 11 points, 4 assists and 1 rebound in a 123-106 win against the Houston Rockets. Oladipo had a season-high 40 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the Heat’s 111-125 loss to the Orlando Magic on April 10.
On July 7, 2022, Oladipo signed a two-year extension with the Heat worth $18 million.