For Indiana Pacers star guard Victor Oladipo, no hard feelings exist between him and his former teammates who left the team this offseason.
Over the summer, several key players from the Pacers' 2018-19 roster opted to leave Indiana. Thaddeus Young went on to sign with the Chicago Bulls, Bojan Bogdanovic joined the Utah Jazz, and Cory Joseph inked a deal with the Sacramento Kings. Furthermore, Darren Collison chose to retire at just 31 years old.
Oladipo, however, admitted that he's still close with the guys who left. In fact, he emphasized he's proud of his former teammates.
“I’m still close to those guys anyway. I talked to Thad a week ago. I talked to D.C. a couple weeks ago as well. I talked to Bogey,” Oladipo said, per J. Michael of Indianapolis Star.
“It’s bigger than just basketball with those guys. It’s about building relationships. When you’re with guys for two long years you build relationships and you build friendships that will last forever. It’s pretty cool to be able to still contact them and be able to have conversations. They’re all going off and doing their own thing, big things, special things and I’m proud of them.”
Last season, the Pacers tallied a 48-34 record and qualified for the postseason. They did it despite losing Oladipo in January, showcasing how much the team can achieve without their best player.
For Pacers fans, it's definitely a sad sight to see their key players leave. But taking a cue from Oladipo, they should look at their past with proud fondness rather than terrible regret.
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