To this day, NBA legend Isiah Thomas still has some ties with the Indiana Pacers franchise where he briefly served as head coach from 2000 to 2003. Although years removed from his post, Zeke still makes sure to connect with the team's current players–particularly with their All-Star guard Victor Oladipo.
The Hall of Fame guard recently revealed that he personally reached out to Oladipo and wished him luck next season.
“I think Oladipo is going to have a great year you know, when he’s healthy,” Isiah Thomas said of the Pacers star, Brandon Scoop B. Robinson of Heavy.com. “I was worried about him when he came back this year because I didn’t think he was healthy enough and you know, as an elder in the league I called him and I texted him and I just said, ‘I know you’re anxious, but make sure that you’re really healthy because you’ve got a great career ahead of you'”.
Pacers PG Victor Oladipo is going to have a great year 'when he’s healthy' says Isiah Thomas: https://t.co/Acg64r2aap
"I called him & I texted him and I just said, 'I know you’re anxious, but make sure that you’re really healthy because you’ve got a great career ahead of you.'" pic.twitter.com/a2RQ9mJggh
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) October 31, 2020
Victor Oladipo made a triumphant return to the court midway to the 2019-20 campaign last January. The two-time All-Star was playing the best basketball of his career when he suffered a horrific ruptured quad tendon in his right knee in the 2018-19 regular season. The 28-year-old ex-Hoosier initially ruled out his return this year, but he eventually changed his mind and suited up for the Pacers in 19 games.
Oladipo's numbers were understandably down upon his comeback from a serious injury, but he still put up respectable averages of 14.5 points on 39.4 percent shooting from the field and 31.7 from downtown, along with 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27 minutes per game.
Isiah Thomas, meanwhile, does have a soft spot for Oladipo considering the striking similarities in their game. Like Dipo, Zeke was an extremely gritty guard for the Detroit Pistons back in his playing days. Although a few inches shorter than Oladipo, the two-time NBA champion played both guard positions and was versatile on both ends of the floor.
Thomas is indeed an OG of the game and it's nice to see him connect with a bright star-like Oladipo from this generation.
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