Today is January 23, 2019. Pacers, on their floor, face the Raptors. There are four minutes to play in the first half, and Pascal Siakam, on the counterattack, receives a pass to register a ready-made basket. But, unbalanced by Victor Oladipothe Cameroonian strong winger cannot receive the leather, and a foul is whistled on the back of the Pacers who have returned to defend.
But the fault is not voluntarily committed: if Victor Oladipo jostled Pascal Siakam, it is because he lost his balance because the tendon of his right quadriceps gave way. His knee can no longer support the weight of his leg, a member of the medical staff approaches very quickly to hide him under a towel, his season is over.
The beginning of a long way of the cross
Since that evening in January 2019, the current Heat player has only played 60 games, not counting the current season, shared between the end of his career in Indiana, then Houston and therefore Miami. Last night, the Heat’s (victorious) trip to the Pacers’ floor marked its fourth outing of the 2022/23 fiscal year, and more broadly only its 16th game with Miami since joining the club during the 2020 season. /21.
For almost four years, Victor Oladipo has actually had a hard time getting back to the front of the stage. His journey since January 23, 2019 has been chaotic, strewn with disguised pitfalls in the form of long months of rehabilitation, but also and above all of reflection.
Like that symbolic moment last night, after the game, in an empty Bankers Life Fieldhouse, when he took a few minutes to sit down on the exact spot where, nearly 47 months earlier, his career was rocking.
” It was a moment to remind myself that my story goes beyond my own person. When I fell, I didn’t know what the future would hold. But I fought, and I still fight. My story is still being written he thus declared, in the columns of the Indianapolis Star.
At peace with his career today
Sportingly, it was a successful return to Indiana for Victor Oladipo, precious off the bench in a tough and closed game, with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the narrow victory for the Heat (87-82).
Honored before the game by his former team via a short video broadcast on the “Jumbotron”, the one who had become an All-Star under the Pacers tunic savored this moment. ” It reminded me of good memories. It was nice to remember those times he said laconically.
Before very quickly concentrating on the match, as Jimmy Butler noticed. ” I did not find that he expressed any particular emotion Judged the Miami winger. ” He didn’t get distracted. He wants to win, that’s always his goal. So I’m glad he was able to bring us some good bits. »
Then the main interested party to give more details of his feelings.
” I focus on the present moment, and the future to come. What belongs to the past can no longer be changed. Today, the Pacers are doing well, they have very good young players “he concluded thus, as if to signify that the “mourning” of his injury was now done. ” And me, I’m happy in Miami. I think we’ve all moved on. The past will not change. »
| Victor Oladipo | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2013-14 | ENT | 80 | 31 | 41.9 | 32.7 | 78.0 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 13.8 |
| 2014-15 | ENT | 72 | 36 | 43.6 | 33.9 | 81.9 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 17.9 |
| 2015-16 | ENT | 72 | 33 | 43.8 | 34.8 | 83.0 | 0.7 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 16.0 |
| 2016-17 | OKAY | 67 | 33 | 44.2 | 36.1 | 75.3 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 15.9 |
| 2017-18 | IND | 75 | 34 | 47.7 | 37.1 | 79.9 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 23.1 |
| 2018-19 | IND | 36 | 32 | 42.3 | 34.3 | 73.0 | 0.6 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 18.8 |
| 2019-20 | IND | 19 | 28 | 39.4 | 31.7 | 81.4 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 14.5 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 33 | 33 | 40.8 | 32.6 | 75.4 | 0.4 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 19.8 |
| 2020-21 * | HOO | 20 | 34 | 40.7 | 32.0 | 78.3 | 0.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 21.2 |
| 2020-21 * | IND | 9 | 33 | 42.1 | 36.2 | 73.0 | 0.1 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 20.0 |
| 2020-21 * | MIA | 4 | 28 | 37.2 | 23.5 | 66.7 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 12.0 |
| 2021-22 | MIA | 8 | 22 | 47.9 | 41.7 | 73.7 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 12.4 |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 3 | 21 | 41.7 | 25.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 8.7 |
| Total | 465 | 33 | 43.8 | 34.8 | 78.9 | 0.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 17.4 | |
