Victor Oladipo facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Victor Oladipo
Free agent
Oladipo with the Indiana Pacers in 2018
Shooting guard / point guard
Personal information
Born	(1992-05-04) May 4, 1992 (age 33) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
High school	DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
College	Indiana (2010–2013)
NBA Draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Pro career	2013–present
Career history
2013–2016	Orlando Magic
2016–2017	Oklahoma City Thunder
2017–2021	Indiana Pacers
2021	Houston Rockets
2021–2023	Miami Heat

Career highlights and awards
2× NBA All-Star (2018, 2019) All-NBA Third Team (2018) NBA All-Defensive First Team (2018) NBA Most Improved Player (2018) NBA steals leader (2018) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2014) Sporting News Player of the Year (2013) Adolph Rupp Trophy (2013) Consensus first-team All-American (2013) NABC co-Defensive Player of the Year (2013) Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2013) First-team All-Big Ten (2013) 2× Big Ten All-Defensive team (2012, 2013)

Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo, born on May 4, 1992, is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player. He last played for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Victor is now a sports analyst for ESPN.

He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. During the 2012–2013 season, he was named the Sporting News Men's College Basketball Player of the Year. He also won the Co-NABC Defensive Player of the Year award. Victor was recognized as a first-team All-American. He also received the Adolph Rupp Trophy, given to the top player in men's NCAA Division I basketball.

The Orlando Magic picked Oladipo second overall in the 2013 NBA draft. He was later named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In 2016, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A year later, he joined the Indiana Pacers. With the Pacers, he became an NBA All-Star for the first time. He also led the league in steals and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

Victor Oladipo is also a talented singer. He has released several music projects, including an album called V.O. in 2018. He also appeared on The Masked Singer as "Thingamajig."

Early Life and High School Basketball

Victor Oladipo was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. His parents are from Nigeria and moved to the United States in 1985. Victor has three sisters, including a set of twins.

Playing in High School

Victor played high school basketball at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. In his senior year, he averaged 11.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He also had 3.6 blocks per game. Victor helped DeMatha achieve a great 32–4 record. They won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and City championships.

He was named to the Washington Post 2010 All-Met First Team. He also made the First Team All-WCAC. Experts like Rivals.com and ESPN recognized him as a top player.

College Basketball Journey

Oladipo (left) guarding Tim Hardaway Jr. in 2012.

Oladipo chose to play basketball at Indiana University Bloomington. He wanted to study sports communication broadcasting. He turned down offers from other big schools. Victor said that Bloomington, Indiana felt like a true basketball town.

Freshman Year (2010–11)

In his first year, Victor played in 32 games. He started five of them. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He also had 1.06 steals. He shot very well, making 54.7% of his shots. His first start was against Penn State. He scored 14 points in that game.

Sophomore Year (2011–12)

As a sophomore, Victor improved a lot. He averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds. Many people called him Indiana's "most improved player." He was also known as the team's best defender. The team made it to the NCAA tournament. They reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Kentucky.

Junior Year and National Recognition (2012–13)

In his junior year, Victor became a national star. He was a leader for the Indiana Hoosiers. They won the Big Ten championship. Victor was one of the best shooters in the country. He made 61.4% of his shots.

After this amazing season, Victor received many awards. He was named the Sporting News Men's College Basketball Player of the Year. He also won the National Co-Defensive Player of the Year. He was a first-team All-American. In his conference, he was named to the first-team All-Big Ten. He also won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Professional Basketball Career

Joining the Orlando Magic (2013–2016)

Oladipo playing for the Magic in 2013.

On April 9, 2013, Victor decided to leave college early for the NBA draft. He was expected to be a top pick. The Orlando Magic selected him second overall in the 2013 NBA draft.

NBA rookies voted Victor as the best defender in his class. They also thought he was a favorite for Rookie of the Year. On December 3, 2013, Victor achieved his first career triple-double. He had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. This was a special game because another rookie also got a triple-double.

In February 2015, Victor competed in the NBA All-Star Weekend. He played in the Rising Stars Challenge. He also finished second in the Slam Dunk Contest. On March 4, 2015, he scored a career-high 38 points.

On October 30, 2015, Victor recorded his second triple-double. He had 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also made a last-second shot to send the game into double overtime. On March 18, 2016, he scored a new career-high of 45 points.

Time with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2016–2017)

Oladipo with the Thunder in 2017.

On June 23, 2016, Victor was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He made his debut for the Thunder on October 26. He scored 10 points in a win. On October 31, he signed a new four-year contract with the Thunder. He missed some games in December due to a wrist injury.

Becoming a Star with the Indiana Pacers (2017–2021)

First Season with the Pacers (2017–18)

Oladipo (left) guarding Bradley Beal in 2018.

On July 6, 2017, Victor was traded to the Indiana Pacers. In his first game for the Pacers, he scored 22 points. On October 25, he scored 35 points against his former team, the Thunder. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice. On December 10, he scored a career-high 47 points in an overtime win.

On January 23, 2018, Victor was named an Eastern Conference All-Star. He continued to play great defense. He had a streak of 56 games with at least one steal. This was one of the longest streaks in NBA history.

In the playoffs, Victor scored 32 points in his first game. He also recorded his first playoff triple-double. He had 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.

On June 25, Victor was named the NBA Most Improved Player. He averaged 23.1 points per game and led the NBA in steals. He also made the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

Injuries and Comebacks (2018–2021)

Oladipo playing against Garrett Temple in October 2018.

On November 3, 2018, Victor made a game-winning three-pointer against the Boston Celtics. He finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. On January 23, 2019, Victor suffered a serious knee injury. This injury kept him out for the rest of the season. Even with the injury, he was still chosen as an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve.

Oladipo in October 2019.

On January 29, 2020, Victor returned to play after 371 days. He scored 9 points in an overtime win. He dedicated his game-tying shot to Kobe Bryant and others who passed away.

Moving to Houston and Miami (2021–2023)

On January 16, 2021, Victor was traded to the Houston Rockets. He played 20 games for them, averaging 21 points. On March 25, 2021, he was traded to the Miami Heat. He played only four games before needing surgery on his right quadriceps tendon.

Victor re-signed with the Heat in August 2021. He returned to play on March 7, 2022. In the last game of the 2021-22 season, he scored a season-high 40 points.

He re-signed with the Heat again in July 2022. On April 23, 2023, Victor suffered another injury during the playoffs. He tore a tendon in his left knee. The Heat made it to the NBA Finals without him.

In July 2023, Victor was traded back to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, in October, he was traded to the Houston Rockets again. In February 2024, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He was later waived by the Grizzlies before playing any games for them.

Broadcasting Career

On October 10, 2024, Victor Oladipo joined ESPN as a sports analyst.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2013–14	Orlando	80	44	31.1	.419	.327	.780	4.1	4.1	1.6	.5	13.8
2014–15	Orlando	72	71	35.7	.436	.339	.819	4.2	4.1	1.7	.3	17.9
2015–16	Orlando	72	52	33.0	.438	.348	.830	4.8	3.9	1.6	.8	16.0
2016–17	Oklahoma City	67	67	33.2	.442	.361	.753	4.3	2.6	1.2	.3	15.9
2017–18	Indiana	75	75	34.0	.477	.371	.799	5.2	4.3	2.4*	.8	23.1
2018–19	Indiana	36	36	31.9	.423	.343	.730	5.6	5.2	1.7	.3	18.8
2019–20	Indiana	19	16	27.8	.394	.317	.814	3.9	2.9	.9	.2	14.5
2020–21	Indiana	9	9	33.3	.421	.362	.730	5.7	4.2	1.7	.2	20.0
	Houston	20	20	33.5	.407	.320	.783	4.8	5.0	1.2	.5	21.2
	Miami	4	4	27.8	.372	.235	.667	3.5	3.5	1.8	.5	12.0
2021–22	Miami	8	1	21.6	.479	.417	.737	2.9	3.5	.6	.1	12.4
2022–23	Miami	42	2	26.3	.397	.330	.747	3.0	3.5	1.4	.3	10.7
Career		504	397	32.2	.436	.347	.788	4.5	3.9	1.6	.5	16.9
All-Star		1	0	15.0	.375	.167	.000	2.0	3.0	3.0	.0	7.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2017	Oklahoma City	5	5	36.2	.344	.240	1.000	5.6	2.0	1.4	.6	10.8
2018	Indiana	7	7	37.3	.417	.404	.732	8.3	6.0	2.4	.4	22.7
2020	Indiana	4	4	30.8	.393	.364	.938	3.3	2.5	2.3	.0	17.8
2022	Miami	15	1	24.5	.368	.274	.792	3.4	2.1	1.3	.3	10.6
2023	Miami	2	0	22.7	.526	.400	.333	3.5	1.0	1.0	.5	11.5
Career		33	17	29.6	.391	.330	.790	4.8	2.9	1.6	.3	14.1

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010–11	Indiana	32	5	18.0	.547	.308	.612	3.7	.9	1.1	.2	7.4
2011–12	Indiana	36	34	26.7	.471	.208	.750	5.3	2.0	1.4	.6	10.8
2012–13	Indiana	36	36	28.4	.599	.441	.746	6.3	2.1	2.2	.8	13.6
Career		104	75	24.6	.538	.338	.716	5.2	1.7	1.5	.5	10.7

Player Profile

Victor Oladipo plays as a shooting guard. He can also play as a point guard. His college coach, Tom Crean, often said Victor's success came from his hard work. Victor is known for his exciting dunks.

Offensive Skills

On offense, Victor is very good at driving to the basket. He is quick and can jump high. His shooting from outside also got better each year in college. One coach said he had never seen a player quicker or more athletic than Oladipo.

Defensive Skills

Victor is known as a "lockdown off-ball defender." This means he is great at guarding players without the ball. He can guard different positions because he is fast and strong. His athleticism makes it hard for opponents to block him. He is also good at getting rebounds.

Television Appearance

In 2019, Victor Oladipo was on The Masked Singer. He was the character "Thingamajig."

Personal Life

Victor Oladipo is a devoted Catholic. He has a daughter named Naomi, who was born in 2022.