As part of a sit-down interview with Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo revealed the help and motivation that his mother gave to him throughout his rehabilitation process.
Oladipo hasn't played in roughly one year. The former No. 2 overall pick suffered a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee on Jan. 23 against the Toronto Raptors and missed the remainder of last season. He's well on his way back now, though, with reports indicating that he could be ready to return later this month.
While speaking with Charania, Oladipo gave credit to his mother for the motivational challenge she issued on that fateful night:
“My mother was there the night I got hurt, ironically,” Oladipo said during his interview with Charania. “I remember getting carted off that court. And if you watch the video, my mom reached out for me, but someone pushed her back because they didn't' realize it was my mother. It was kind of a moment where a mother couldn't get to her child. It was a very powerful moment.
“We got back to the X-Ray room and that's when the tears started flowing,” Oladipo added. “That's when my mom said, ‘God is just trying to test us. We're gonna be just fine.'”
Dipo admits that he was down in that moment, but his mother challenged him to come back as an even better player:
“My mother got me right back up,” Oladipo said. “She challenged me right then and there to come back better than I was. She told me, “this is a test.'”
Charania has reported that the Pacers are targeting their home game against the Bulls on January 29 for Oladipo's return, though that mark is not set in stone. Still, it's great to hear that he's nearly ready for action.
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