Pacers star breaks new ground
New Breakers coowner and Indiana Pacers star is on double-pronged basketball mission this season, writes
TWO-TIME NBA All-Star and newlyminted Breakers co-owner Victor Oladipo has never been to New Zealand, but feels like he knows a fair bit about the country on the other side of his world that he has just become inextricably linked to.
The 28-year-old Indiana Pacers star, who starts the upcoming NBA season with the proverbial chip on his shoulder (more on that later), has just bought into the ownership structure of the New Zealand Breakerswith his business manager, and close friend, Jay Henderson. They are excited about their first step into that side of the basketball business and are pledging to do all they can to elevate the Kiwi club into the stratosphere.
Oladipo, the second overall pick in the 2013 draft, has carved out an outstanding NBA career with the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and now the Pacers where he is coming into the final year of a four-year US$85 million deal that will pay him $21m for the upcoming season.
He may have never visited this country – though is pledging to change that at the first opportunity – but in an exclusive interviewwith the Sunday StarTimes from his summer base in Florida he revealed that a year playing with Steven Adams at the Thunder (2016-17), and a deep appreciation for the fantasy movies of Peter Jackson, have given him a vivid feel for the land down under.
‘‘I’m a big Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fan, and can’t wait to see where that was filmed. I can pretty much name every line of each movie, so I’m looking forward to coming to New Zealand,’’ said Oladipo, who was raised in Maryland as the son on two Nigerian immigrant parents.
When it’s mentioned that
New Zealand is a small country, and that if the moons aligned he just might get to meet the mastermind behind his favourite movie series, the explosive shooting guard did his best to veer away from fanboy territory. ‘‘That would be amazing,’’ he says, matter-of-factly.
He is more forthcoming on Adams, whom he developed a strong relationship with during his season in Oklahoma City.
‘‘He is a great basketball player and great talent, but he is aworld-class person as well,’’ says Oladipo. ‘‘New Zealand should be proud that he represents them, because he does that to the fullest and in the best way possible.
‘‘He’s massive, just huge, and his personality is definitely infectious, and you gravitate towards him. He’s an amazing person, an amazing teammate and an amazing friend.’’
There are some who wonder about Adams’ value to the Thunder, given as he commands over US$25m for the final term of his own fouryear deal. Not Oladipo.
‘‘He has an ability to affect the game in so many ways – defence, rebounding, altering shots, different things like that,’’ says the new Breakers part-owner. ‘‘He does a bunch of things very well, and that’s what makes him so effective.’’
The decision to invest in the Breakers came about as Oladipo and Henderson continued to explore business opportunities in their empire and the pair became instantly won over by the Australian NBL.
‘‘Our agent Aaron Turner is friends with [Breakers majority owner]
Matt Walsh, so we’d been talking for awhile,’’ explained Henderson, who has been handling Oladipo’s business affairs since his rookie year with Orlando in 2013. ‘‘We connected and hit it off, and it was a nobrainer, man. It’s a special organisation with a special group of coaches and players and we feel like what we bring to the table can only enhance it far as helping with sponsors, maybe a shoe deal and playing against NBA teams every year.
‘‘We feel like we bring a lot to the table and can’t wait to get going. I plan on coming two or three times a year, and Vic, with the NBA season, plans on coming once every year in the off-season. The country is so beautiful, we can’t wait to explore it and help bring more positivity to the country and the team.’’
Oladipo said being part of team ownership in a league like the AustralianNBL had a certain appeal to it.
‘‘As an athlete playing the game of basketball, you’re always hearing about owning your own team, and being able to call the shots. It’s why guys play video games like 2K. This is the first step for me.’’
With theNBA draft having just played out, and both LaMelo Ball (No 3) and RJHampton
(No 24) being picked up in the first round out of seasons in the NBL, it wasworth getting Oladipo’s view on his own draft day in 2013 when the Magic picked him second overall.
‘‘It’s a day you always dream about since you’re a little kid,’’ he said. ‘‘To be able to walk across the stage and shake the [NBA] Commissioner’s hand, for your dream to come true, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It’s something I’ll always remember.’’
And he had some advice for Hampton, who played last season for the Breakers under the league’s Next Stars programme, and was disappointed to fall as low as he did. He was eventually selected by the New Orleans Pelicans and traded to the Denver Nuggets.
‘‘It was a tough draft, with only film on guys, and not too much time to get workouts and see what players are really capable of from eye-level view. Maybe he wanted to be drafted higher, maybe we all thought he might be, but use that as motivation to prove people wrong. He should be excited and appreciative, because there are some people who will never get that experience, whether that’s two, or 24, or 44.’’
Speaking of motivated, Oladipo has his own reasons for wanting to produce something special this NBA season, which tips off on December 22.
This, remember, is a shooting guardwho averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists at the peak of his powers for Indiana in 2017-18.
After more than a year out with amajor knee injury, Oladipo played 19 regular season games in the disrupted 2019-20 season, and averaged just under 18 points as they were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in the Orlando bubble.
But clearly he has not been best pleased by the lack of respect around his name since that return. ‘‘Next year every game is a game seven for me,’’ he said. ‘‘This is a different type of year, a different type of season. I’m going to leave everything out there. I already play every game like it’s my last and have done for long time, but now I’m healthy doing it. I’m looking forward to proving people wrong.’’
The Breakers host the All-Star Celeb Slam at Spark Arena on Thursday (tipoff 7.30pm).