Victor Oladipo will sit out the rest of the Pacers' season
Indiana Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo will sit out the rest of the NBA season.
“I really want to play, and as a competitor and teammate this is tearing me apart,” Oladipo told The Athletic. “I feel like I’m at a great place in my rehab and getting closer and closer to 100 percent. With all the variables, from how I have to build my 5-on-5 workload back up, to the increased risk of a soft tissue injury which could delay my rehab, and the unknown exact set-up of the bubble, I just can’t get my mind to being fully comfortable in playing.
"I have to be smart, and this decision hasn’t been easy, but I truly believe continuing on the course I’m on and getting fully healthy for the 2020-21 season is the right decision for me.”
Oladipo had his right quad tendon repaired last year. He missed most of this season before returning Jan. 29 and playing in 13 games before the March 11 stoppage because of coronavirus. Oladipo insisted that his thought process has nothing to do with 2020-21, when he’ll be in the final year of his contract with the Pacers and likely enter the summer as an unrestricted free agent.
“I understand this is a business,” Oladipo said. “I’m making this decision based on my health. I want to be at the best form possible.”
Pacers coach Nate McMillan said earlier this week he expected Oladipo to play in Orlando but that the team would pull him — if Oladipo didn't pull himself — if he wasn't right.