Victor Oladipo named NBA All-Star for second time
By Tony East
Finally, some good news for the Indiana Pacers. Victor Oladipo has been named a 2018-19 NBA All-Star.
It sounds weird to say given his season-ending injury happened just over one week ago, but Indiana Pacers Victor Oladipo has been named a 2018-19 NBA All-Star.
It isn’t that Oladipo isn’t deserving – he was having one hell of a season before his devastating fall. It just seems weird since he will need to be immediately replaced on the All-Star roster. But it is a nice gesture that he is still able to be named an All-Star given his solid play this entire season.
The NBA announced the reserves for each conference yesterday.
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1091124370343370752
This is Victor Oladipo’s second All-Star appearance, he competed in the game last season as well. He also performed in the Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend 2018, but unfortunately, he was unable to come away victorios.
Oladipo was averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game for the Indiana Pacers before his season ended. Those last two numbers are career highs. Despite having a down year shooting the ball, Oladipo was still finding ways to be an incredibly effective player.
J Michael of the Indy Star said that Nate McMillan lobbied for Vic to be named an All-Star:
Oladipo receives 2nd #AllStar selection though hes out. McMillan said before tipoff that he lobbied other coaches to get him on the team. #Pacers
— J. Michael (@ThisIsJMichael) February 1, 2019
It is being reported that Jimmy Butler or D’Angelo Russell are the two most likely players to replace Oladipo in the game, which makes a lot of sense. He obviously won’t play in the game.
Victor himself had the following to say about his selection, per the Athletic’s Scott Agness:
Oladipo on being a 2x All-Star: "I am honestly speechless just knowing I have the support of my peers, people I look up to and admire, as well as the fans.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) February 1, 2019
"All I can say is thank you and I am working on coming back stronger not just physically, but mentally as well."
It is a bummer that despite getting the nod to be a part of the big game, Pacers fans won’t get to see him there. But it is nice to see Oladipo receive the credit he deserves for his great season.
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Congratulations to Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time he is named an NBA All-Star.