Victor Oladipo Seeking NBA Comeback After 2 Years Missed From Injury

Former NBA star Victor Oladipo is working toward a return to the league after not playing since 2023, and he reportedly impressed scouts during a private workout on Monday in Las Vegas.

Victor Oladipo Last Appeared In An NBA Game In The 2023 Playoffs

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, multiple attendees “came away impressed, with Oladipo described as being in excellent shape as he pursues another comeback.”

Woo noted that Oladipo’s workout drew a large audience, “with a large contingent of NBA and European teams attending.” He reportedly “played full-court five-on-five in a group workout of international pros.”

Oladipo, 33, last appeared in an NBA game in the 2023 playoffs when he was with the Miami Heat. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks that April.

In that series with Miami, he averaged 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in two playoff outings.

Former No. 2 Overall Pick Played His Best In 2017-18

While sidelined, the Heat traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who then sent him to the Houston Rockets, who later traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies. He was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2024.

The 6-foot-3 Oladipo, the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft out of Indiana University Bloomington, was named the NBA’s most improved player and made the All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Team in 2018 with the Indiana Pacers.

In the 2017-18 season, Oladipo averaged career highs of 23.1 points and 2.4 steals to go with 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game across 75 outings for the Pacers.

He also received votes for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year that campaign.

Oladipo Could Work His Way Into A Roster Spot

Multiple knee injuries and a ruptured quad tendon have delayed Oladipo’s potential return. That quad tendon injury continued to be an issue after the Maryland native returned to action and required a second surgery in 2021.

Oladipo has appeared in just 102 total NBA games since sustaining that quad injury in January 2018. He hasn’t played in at least 50 games in a single campaign since that special 2017-18 season.

However, there’s “currently some consideration around the league” that he might work his way into a roster spot, per Woo. Sources suggest that he would likely sign a veteran minimum deal.

Oladipo wrote in a post Sunday on X that he feels “great right now,” and he believes he’s capable of helping a team because “my injuries are behind me and it will never happen again.”