The Indiana basketball team has had its fair share of great NBA players. We continue our look at the top four to ever play.
#4: Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo came to IU as part of the 2010 recruiting class. Coming out of high school, Oladipo was a relatively unheralded recruit, however, his athleticism and vibrant personality were apparent from the get-go.
Oladipo broke out in his sophomore season with the Hoosiers averaging 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds on 47% shooting. He also established himself as the team’s best defender. In his junior season, Oladipo exploded onto the national radar. Oladipo was named the Sporting News Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year, the National Defensive Player of the Year, and a first-team All-American. He averaged 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and two steals a game. Indiana was a favorite to win the tournament but was unfortunately eliminated by the infamous Syracuse 2-3 zone in the sweet 16.
Victor Oladipo was drafted with the second pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. He had an excellent rookie season with the Magic finishing second in ROTY voting and was a unanimous first-team all-rookie team member. Oladipo continued his excellent play over his first four seasons averaging 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals. Oladipo played second-fiddle to Russell Westbrook with the Thunder during the 2016-17 season after being traded from the Magic.
In July 2017, Oladipo was traded with Domantas Sabonis to Indiana in exchange for Paul George. In a familiar state and with full control of the reigns, Oladipo blossomed with the Pacers. He averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and led the league in steals with 2.4 per game. Oladipo was awarded with his first all-star appearance and at the end of the season was named to the first-team all-defensive team. He was also awarded the Most Improved Player Award.
The first half of the 2018-19 campaign was another one to remember for Oladipo as he was again awarded as an all-star. He averaged 18.8 points. The second half of the season was a much less joyful for Oladipo. In January, he suffered a ruptured quad tendon that would take him out for the rest of the season.
This season, Oladipo returned from injury in late January and was getting in a rhythm right before the season was interrupted.
In his NBA career to date, Oladipo has scored 7207 points. He has proved to be an elite NBA player while collecting all-star appearances, all-NBA, and all-defensive honors.