Is Victor Oladipo the best musician to ever play for the Indiana Pacers?
By Ben Gibson
Victor Oladipo’s video for his song “Connected” dropped last week, making me wonder where he ranks among Indiana Pacers that have released songs.
Victor Oladipo’s got some down time right now, so why not release a music video? Don’t worry, the Indiana Pacers star is rehabbing and working out, too.
If you remember, Oladipo’s album “V.O” was released in October of last year, which got a solid grade from Nuvo when it was released.
If you haven’t actually listened to Oladipo’s singing, you’re missing out. The dude is legitimately talented as a singer. This is more than a vanity project as Oladipo’s voice could sell records (As much as those are sold these days. I hear the kids are into something called “steaming” now) without him being an NBA player.
Oladipo had this to say to Billboard’s Michael Saponara about the song.
"“That’s one of those tracks that I feel everyone is going to vibe with. I think it’s something that’s real dope. Who doesn’t want to be connected? Little things that you do for people show them that you’re connected,” Oladipo previously told Billboard of the inspiration behind the tune. “It was pretty cool putting that out there before the album dropped, a lot of people liked the song. We were able to hook up with PnB Rock through Meek Mill, who we have mutual friends with.”"
So not too shabby, but where does he stand among all Indiana Pacers musicians?
He’s clearly ahead of Lance Stephenson, who certainly falls under the “Baller who wants to rap” category (but isn’t bad). However, I’d say the retired Stephen Jackson is a better rapper than Lance. Ron Artest/Metta World Peace is somewhere in between the two in my mind, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone put him ahead of the other two.
While all three are fine as rappers, it’s fair to see their names and not their music is what attracts most listeners.
His only real competition comes from Wayman Tisdale and C.J. Miles.
Tisdale was a good enough bass player to have his music to end up on Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart, so you can’t deny just how good of a musician he was.
And then there’s C.J. Miles, who released his music on Soundcloud every now and then. Miles has talent, and if someone dropped a track of his in your playlist, you wouldn’t be disappointed. But Miles says it’s more of a relaxing hobby for him than anything else.
Considering Oladipo’s actually gotten solid reviews for his music and is obviously taking the endeavor seriously, he is certainly ahead of Miles.
But who is better among Victor Oladipo and Wayman Tisdale? Jazz can be an acquired taste, but listening to his music is smooth and easy on the ears.
I struggle to put either ahead of the other, but for now, it’s fair to say Tisdale’s career in music is more than Oladipo’s, who is only one album into his music endeavors.
Keep making music, Victor, and maybe you claim the title if you keep things up.