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In an open letter, former IU basketball star Victor Oladipo asks NBA teams for another chance

 

In an open letter, former IU basketball star Victor Oladipo asks NBA teams for another chance

Former IU basketball All-American Victor Oladipo is asking NBA teams for another chance to play in the league.

In a letter published Tuesday by The Players Tribune, Oladipo says he is healthy and wants another shot.

“To say to any GM who’s willing to listen: I believe my body is finally right,” Oladipo wrote. “I believe I still have GREAT (and more importantly, WINNING) basketball in front of me. I believe I can be a valuable contributor to an NBA locker room. And what I’m asking for right now is an opportunity to prove it.”

Oladipo, 34, last played in the NBA in the 2022-23 season and is a two-time All-Star. He has earned more than $124 million in his career.

The IU Athletics Hall of Famer suffered significant injuries that derailed his professional career. Oladipo has not played in more than 42 games in a season since the 2017-18 campaign, his first with the Indiana Pacers.

The first setback for Oladipo came in 2019 when he suffered a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee that ended his season after 36 games.

In 2023, Oladipo had another devastating injury, suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. He has not appeared in an NBA game since the injury.

Despite a stint in the NBA G League last season with the Milwaukee Herd, the Bucks’ affiliate, and a private workout attended by NBA teams over the summer, Oladipo has been unable to land a spot in the league to complete his comeback.

In the letter, Oladipo closed with a thank you to any team that took the time to read his story, which is outlined in more than 2,500 words.

“I don’t know how my journey here is going to end,” he wrote. “Maybe a team out there will give me a chance. Maybe no team will. That’s really up to you all. But if you’re in an NBA front office, and you took the time to read this: Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

In his NBA career, which spans 504 games, Oladipo has career averages of 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 32.2 minutes per game.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic, Oladipo was an All-American at Indiana in the 2012-13 season and helped lead the Hoosiers to an outright Big Ten regular-season championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

In addition to the Magic and the Pacers, Oladipo has also played for Houston, Oklahoma City and Miami.

NBA training camps for the 2026-27 season open in late September.

See More: Former Hoosiers