By John DentonNov. 9, 2015
INDIANAPOLIS – When he was an impressionable college kid at Indiana University, Victor Oladipo had the luxury of speaking with and being mentored by Indiana Pacers standout Paul George.
Now that Oladipo is in the NBA, he is doing his best to give back to college athletes the same way that George did for him three-plus years ago.
Oladipo, whose Magic (3-4) face George’s Pacers (3-4) tonight at 7 p.m., took advantage of his team’s off day on Sunday and traveled back to his college campus at IU. While there, he picked up pointers from Hoosiers head coach Tom Creen and and he spoke passionately to the IU basketball team about chasing dreams and working to make themselves better.
“I had a chance to talk to them and I hope they listened and I think they did. I could tell by their faces that they were locked in,” said Oladipo, who was an All-American player at IU in the 2012-13 season. “The power of being in the NBA and the blessing of being in the NBA is being able to inspire young people, young athletes and inspire people, in general. Hopefully I did that.”
Throughout the NBA’s marathon 82-game season there are times that the schedule works against teams and times when it benefits them. Orlando – winners of two straight after beating Toronto on Friday and Philadelphia on Saturday – is hoping the schedule works in their favor in this instance.
While the Magic had Sunday off, save for a team meeting and film review from Saturday night, while the Pacers battled through a hard-fought afternoon game in Cleveland. Indiana pushed the defending Eastern Conference champions to the end before losing 101-97 when they couldn’t stop LeBron James or Kevin Love down the stretch.
On Sunday, George looked every bit like the superstar he was before suffering the horrific leg injury in August of 2014 while competing in an exhibition game with Team USA. On Sunday, he battered the Cavaliers for 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while making 11 of 21 shots, three 3-points and seven free throws. But he was forced to play 39 minutes – something that could affect his energy levels tonight against the Magic.
Oladipo is delighted to see George back on the floor and back as the star player he was before the injury. When Oladipo got to Indiana as a below-the-radar freshman, George was debuting as a NBA player and some in Indianapolis were critical of the Pacers for picking him because of his early struggles. Oladipo, 23, and George, 25, often worked out together in the offseason and they helped each other through their struggles and successes on the court.
Ultimately, Oladipo blossomed into being a college star and the No. 2 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, while George was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2013 and an All-NBA selection in 2013 and ’14. This season, Oladipo is averaging 16.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists a game, while George is pumping in 23.4 points to go along with his 9.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists a game.
“It’s a blessing to see him back out there,” Oladipo said of George. “I remember when he first got here, people were kind of shaky about him as a player. But to see his growth and how hard he worked to get to where he is today, it’s impressive. He had a minor setback that was was kind of major, but to see him back healthy and playing it’s good.”
Oladipo was so good when he played at Indiana University that he is still revered in this basketball-crazed state. When the Magic arrived at their team hotel at approximately 2 a.m. early Sunday morning there were 12-15 fans waiting outside the team hotel for autographs and pictures. Oladipo stayed and signed for every fan. The treatment for basketball players is different here, Oladipo said, and that’s why he always tries to give back to those still playing for the Hoosiers.
“Basketball is like everything here. So when you do something big for this state – for me, I was able to do something big at the state university – then it will be remembered forever,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to come back and see the fans here and then people from IU recognize me. It’s just fun being back here, seeing familiar faces and it’s like coming back to your second home.”
