Victor Oladipo had more than three years without playing in the NBA. It was on April 22 when he played his last game in the world’s top league. In a Miami Heat squad that would go on to reach the Finals and that, with Dipo on the floor, would make it 2-1 in the already legendary series against Milwaukee. A rupture to the patellar tendon forced his NBA career to come to a sudden halt. It was the second major blow dealt by injuries, and this one looked like it could be definitive.
Since then, and with even greater emphasis in the last year, Oladipo has been trying to return to the NBA. Last season he played games in the G League with the Bucks’ affiliate, and this summer he has conducted private workouts with several franchises, with Sacramento being the one that showed the most interest. Nothing ultimately bore fruit.
Now, with the league’s doors seemingly closed, he writes an article in The Players’ Tribune asking for a chance. It begins by addressing all the league’s GMs.
In the piece, Oladipo looks back over his life and career. From his formative years as the son of Nigerian immigrants who idolized Hakeem Olajuwon to the present day, tracing his rise and fall as an NBA star.
Vic admits that he has stopped chasing the ghost of his self in full bloom and that he has learned to shape his game around what he understands to be a player with physical limitations in particular. That said, at 34 years old, he firmly believes his body is ready for the challenge of returning to the NBA and contributing to a winning locker room and a team with a winning culture in basketball. His dream? That his barely four-year-old daughter see this version of him, one that has left behind the laments of bad luck, doing what he was born to do.
