Victor Oladipo last played in the NBA in 2023. A ruptured patellar tendon ruined everything for him. At that point, he wasn't a star anymore, but was a rotation player for the Miami Heat. He's done everything he can to make it back, and while he hasn't gotten a flyer yet, he shouldn't lose hope because Utah Jazz alum Dante Exum made it back after a similarly extensive injury history.
Exum will still be remembered among the worst Jazz lottery picks ever, but he also suffered injury after injury to the point that it seemingly destroyed his NBA career. For a few years, Exum was out of the league and stuck at square one.
Two years after his brief time in Cleveland ended, Exum got another flyer in Dallas. That was an opportunity he took and ran with that he became a rotation player for a team that made a surprise run to the NBA Finals.
Sure, they lost in the NBA Finals, but Exum was a good surprise for Dallas until he got hurt again. Even so, he got a second chance in the NBA and proved Dallas right to take one on him. Now, Oladipo is asking for the same thing.
Why everyone should root for Oladipo
There's no telling where Oladipo would get his second chance nor if he'll ever get one, but everyone loves a comeback story. Especially for someone with Oladipo's story. That's not just about the injurires he's had to endure, but how he rose to become a two-way star.
Oladipo was a late-bloomer, going from an underwhelming No. 2 overall pick in 2013 to becoming the face of the Indiana Pacers' franchise in 2018. Oladipo's talent was obvious, but he never quite put it together in Orlando or Oklahoma City. That all changed when he went to Indiana.
A talented former lottery pick who never quite figured himself out with his first two teams then blossomed into a star in Year 5 with his third? Jazz fans should be familiar with that story, because it's both Oladipo's and Lauri Markkanen's.
Both were late bloomers who became so easy to root for precisely because they took everyone by surprise when everyone thought they had the two pegged.
Because Jazz fans saw Markkanen have a similar career arc to Oladipo's - which also sets him up to have his best season ever next month - they, like everyone else, should root for 'Dipo to make it back to the league.
Whether he's playing for or against the Jazz, his story is simply too inspiring to see it end for good.
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