On Sunday, former Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo shot down a report that originated in late 2020 that suggested he asked members of the Heat if he could join them while still a member of the Indiana Pacers.
The fact that you believe a reporter who may never be on the field or anywhere near the team at games means you were lost before you saw that brother. #with respect ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฟ
โ Victor Oladipo (@VicOladipo) January 13, 2025
In 2020, it was reported that Oladipo asked multiple teams if he could join them “in front of his Indiana Pacers teammates.”
โThis happened against the Toronto Raptors,โ J. Michael wrote in November 2020. โThis happened against the Miami Heat. It happened against the New York Knicks.
“‘Can I come play with you?’ Or some repetition of this strange claim.
“That’s what Victor Oladipo said — in front of his Indiana Pacers teammates — and added to the excitement with the star guard in the locker room,” three league sources with direct knowledge of the situation told IndyStar. Aaron Turner, Oladipo’s agent, did not respond to requests for comment.
Oladipo was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets that season, and he ended up in Miami to close out the campaign, appearing in four regular season games and 15 playoff games.
When the report first surfaced about Oladipo, his agent at the time dismissed it.
“He didn’t say anything like that at all.”@VicOladipoHis agent, Aaron Turner, is dismissing the news about Oladipo asking opponents if he can join their team with @TheFrankIsola and @Scalabrine image.twitter.com/qkjGm7NoeJ
โ SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) November 13, 2020
Even though Oladipo didn’t ask to play for Miami in front of his former teammates, he still ended up in South Beach for a few seasons. Injuries kept Oladipo in Miami โ and the end of his NBA career โ but he still averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 54 regular season games (and seven starts) with Miami.
Oladipo was with the Heat at the end of the 2020-21 season and remained with the club through the 2022-23 season. He played in 42 games in his final regular season with Miami, but tore the patella in his left knee in the playoffs, ending his campaign. He hasn’t played in the NBA since.
Oladipo, a two-time All-Star, had some of the best years of his career with the Pacers, but his tenure with the club didn’t have a special ending. He appeared in just nine games with the Pacers in the 2020-21 season before being traded to Houston. With the Rockets, he averaged 21.2 points per contest in 20 games.
While in Miami, Oladipo appeared in 17 Finals games, and he was with the team in 2022-23 when they reached the NBA Finals – although his torn patellar tendon limited him to just two playoff games.
The Heat ended up losing in the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets, spoiling Oladipo’s chances of winning the NBA title for the first time in his career.
Now it appears the former All-Star wants to set the record straight on said 2020 report.