By John DentonOct. 22, 2015
ORLANDO – Not long after wowing kids with his dribbling through his legs and around his back, spinning the ball on his finger and slapping too many high-fives to count, Victor Oladipo passed along a message of hope to some of the children participating in a Jr. Magic youth basketball clinic on Thursday.
After all, Oladipo said, it wasn’t so long ago that he was one of the wide-eyed children with hoop dreams and looking up to those who ultimately helped him accomplish everything that he’s wanted out of life.
Oladipo, now 23 and mature beyond his years, never got to meet a professional basketball player or attend a NBA-affiliated skills camp such as Thursday’s event sponsored by the Magic while growing up. That never once doused his dreams and ultimately through a blend of talent, hard work and determination, Oladipo reached basketball’s highest level and has evolved into being a franchise cornerstone for the Magic.
Oladipo’s impassioned message to the kids on Thursday was that it was OK to look to him as a role model because he is a jumping, dunking example of someone whose dreams have come true.
“I’m living proof because I was once just like them being a little kid who just wanted to play basketball and do something productive with my life,” Oladipo said from the Downtown Rec Center in the Parramore section of Orlando. “I never got to experience anything like this – meeting a NBA player – so for them to get to come out here and do this with me, it can be life-changing. I’m just blessed and fortunate to be able to help make an impact like this.”
The Magic hosted three Jr. Magic youth clinics on Thursday for more than 300 kids in downtown Orlando, at the Orlando Magic Goldenrod Recreation Center and the Dr. Phillips YMCA. In addition to getting to work with Magic players Dewayne Dedmon and Oladipo, Orlando coaches Adrian Griffin, Monte Mathis, Conner Henry, Laron Profit and Jay Hernandez, FOX Sports Florida analyst and former Magic player Jeff Turner and Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw, each kid was given a blue, black and white Magic basketballs as part of the camps.
“My favorite part of the day is getting to play basketball with the Magic players and listening to them stress what we need to do,” said 10-year-old Devin Roverson, a fifth-grader at Nap Ford Elementary School.
The clinics were held as part of the inaugural Jr. NBA Week, a program designed to engage youth in the fundamentals of basketball at an early age. Studies show that if children fall in love with the game of basketball at an early age that they often remain NBA fans for life.
Jr. Magic is the Magic’s outreach program that brings the sport of basketball closer to youth through recreational leagues, educational camps and clinics and other opportunities to interact with players and coaches. The mission of Jr. Magic is to help children improve their basketball skills in a fun and competitive setting while also teaching invaluable life lessons along the way.
Erica Simmons-Young, a fifth grade teacher at Nap Ford Elementary School, said that the kids in her class could hardly contain their excitement all day when she told them that they would be getting the chance to learn basketball skills from Magic players. She said that the Magic should be commended for working to make a difference in the lives of children.
“Dealing with the kind of area that we’re in here, these kids really admire role models such as NBA players. So for players from the Magic to come out and support them and show them the fundamentals, it’s great,” said Simmons-Young, who said her students were much more attentive in class on Thursday because they didn’t want to miss out on attending Thursday’s camp.
“I think it’s incredible what the Magic do in the community and it shows that they have really good people,” Simmons-Young continued. “They want to be here for the kids. Events like this show that they don’t just want to play games on TV and that they want to be out here supporting these kids and teach them the right way to do things.”
Griffin, one of the top assistants on Scott Skiles coaching staff with the Magic, said the Magic do more than just talk about making a difference in the community. Griffin, a former NBA player himself before getting into coaching, has been impressed with the way that the Magic entrench their players and coaches in camps and charitable events throughout Central Florida so that they are seen as fixtures in the community.
“One of the first things that I recognized when I joined the Magic organization was how family-oriented everything is here,” Griffin said. “And it’s not just lip service because the organization is always holding events like this camp and giving back to the kids. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces and how they are getting into it, it’s so cool. And you can see how with a lot of these kids in a few years down the line they are going to have bright futures in basketball.”
Oladipo always hoped that he had a bright future in basketball – the sport that he first fell in love with as a 5-year-old when he would get in trouble for dribbling all over the house. Never expected to amount to much as a player because of his extremely raw talent, Oladipo worked his way into a Division I scholarship at Indiana University and a No. 2 selection spot in the 2013 NBA Draft.
And now that he has become a definitive leader on and off the court for the Magic and one of the NBA’s most promising young players, Oladipo knows that kids are looking to him as an example of someone who has culled the most out of his potential. He takes great pride in holding himself up as someone who thought big when it came to basketball and he’s made all of those dreams realities.
“I take (being a role model) very seriously,” Oladipo said. “At the end of the day, a lot of kids look up to me and are watching me at all times. Not only (the kids), but parents as well. I’m not only representing myself and my family, but also the Orlando Magic so I have to do everything in the best way that I can.”
