By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Wednesday evening marked an emotional night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Kobe Bryant tributes were even more incredible to experience in person. And then, it was Victor Oladipo time.
One year and one week after Oladipo’s devastating injury, he returned to action in his city against the Chicago Bulls.
Naturally, Oladipo struggled with his shot, missing his first six 3-point attempts in the game. The Pacers were in trouble late, trailing 100-93 before Oladipo checked back in. A few stops and a few Malcolm Brogdon buckets cut the lead to three, and it set the stage for another heroic chapter in the book of Oladipo.
Here was the view from my media seat-
The guy is magic, and there’s no other way to describe it. From there, the Pacers dominated the overtime period and defeated Chicago 115-106. They went on a 16-2 run when they needed it most.
After the game, Oladipo was asked if he was thinking about Kobe Bryant in that moment. “Of course,” Oladipo said. “What did he do in those moments? Why not? I know I can make that. Sure, I had missed six, but I didn’t remember them. I just thought about making that one. At the end of the day, it went in. It’s a great story for y’all to write, for sure. God is good. I got emotional out there. The week has been emotional. A year, it’s been a roller-coaster. I’ve attacked that roller-coaster. I’m going to continue to attack that roller-coaster until I can ride it with the wheels off.”
It will take some time for Oladipo to get into shape and find his form. But the Pacers (31-17) have the talent to win no matter what he gives them.
“Did you see how fast I shot my first one?” Oladipo asked. “After I did that, I was good. This is a rare injury. I don’t think you guys understand-nobody my age has had this injury, but who better to have it than me? Do the impossible. I guess that’s what it is. I feel like I just ran a marathon. Shout out to the Pacers organization as a whole. This whole state is phenomenal. They should give us more love, but don’t worry. Our time is coming.”
The Pacers are at home for six of their next seven games. Fans will have plenty of chances to watch their star back in action. With Oladipo in the fold, the sky is the limit for this Pacers team.
