There was a time when Victor Oladipo looked like he had the NBA world in front of him. Now, more than three years since his last NBA game, the former All-Star is trying to find his way back.
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After years of setbacks, the 34-year-old has spent the past year trying to show that there is still something left in the tank. This summer, he put that belief in front of NBA teams.
On September 1, Oladipo took the next step by writing directly to NBA decision-makers in an open letter titled “A Letter to NBA GMs.” “I believe my body is finally right. I believe I still have GREAT (and more importantly, WINNING) basketball in front of me. I believe I can be a valuable contributor to an NBA locker room. And what I’m asking for right now is an opportunity to prove it.”
Oladipo’s road back has been shaped by two major injuries, one on each leg, that changed the course of a career that once appeared to be taking off.
The first major setback came on January 23, 2019, when Oladipo ruptured the right quadriceps tendon during his time with the Indiana Pacers. It came after his breakout 2017-18 season, when he averaged 23.1 points, led the NBA in steals and earned his first All-Star selection, along with All-NBA Third Team, All-Defensive First Team and Most Improved Player honors.
Oladipo eventually returned to the court and played in the 2020 NBA Bubble, but another major setback came with Miami. On April 22, 2023, he tore the left patellar tendon against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first round. That became the last NBA game of his career to date.
But Oladipo has not simply spent the last three years waiting for another NBA call. He returned to competitive basketball outside the league, including a 26-game G League stint with the Wisconsin Herd during the 2025-26 season, where he averaged 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Then came the July 15 Las Vegas workout. Oladipo put himself in front of NBA executives and scouts, with Sacramento representatives in attendance. Observers noted his movement, burst and shooting, although no team offered him a contract or training camp invitation immediately after the workout.
For Oladipo, though, the comeback is about more than basketball. He wants his daughter, Naomi, to see what he did after injuries repeatedly knocked him down.
“It’s this version, right now, that I want Nomi to see,” Oladipo wrote, referring to his four-year-old daughter Naomi. “The version of her dad that got kicked all the way down the mountain, then spent years trying to climb back up, only to get kicked back down, again and again, but never once quit trying to climb.”
At his peak, Oladipo was more than just a scorer. His 2017-18 season in Indiana produced 23.1 points per game and a league-leading 2.36 steals, helping him earn All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive First Team honors. He finished that season as one of the league’s top two-way guards.
NBA Fans Rally Behind Victor Oladipo After His Open Letter
Oladipo’s letter quickly drew support from fans, many of whom focused less on the uncertainty surrounding his NBA future and more on the fight it took to get him back to this point.
“Give Oladipo a chance,” one fan wrote. Another fan commented, “Hoping to see you in Miami.”
The Miami connection is easy for fans to understand. Oladipo suffered his 2023 injury with the Heat, making a return to Miami an especially appealing possibility for supporters.
“If you come back to Miami we’ll cheer bro,” read another reaction.
Miami has one standard roster spot open, but there is no indication that the Heat have offered Oladipo a contract, a training camp invitation or an Exhibit 10 deal. His workouts at Kaseya Center show that the connection remains, but they should not be treated as proof of a pending reunion.
A user wrote, “nice, hope the workouts are paying off!”
The reaction comes after Oladipo spent the summer putting his health and game in front of NBA evaluators. His July 15 Las Vegas workout included Sacramento representatives, while Ira Winderman reported that Oladipo has also been working out at Kaseya Center and that the Heat have monitored him.
“Wishing you the best, Dipo,” was another reaction.
That support lines up with the message Oladipo delivered in his letter. He did not promise that an NBA team would sign him. He simply asked for the chance to show what he can still do.
For now, the next step is out of Oladipo’s hands. Sacramento has evaluated him, Miami has monitored his progress, and no NBA team has offered him a contract yet. But after years of injuries, a G League return and a summer spent trying to prove he can still play, Oladipo has made his case as clearly as he can. Now, he has to wait and see if an NBA team believes that case is enough.