Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to seeing American-Nigerian basketball player Victor Oladipo in National Basketball Association (NBA) action this week, as ESPN continues its live coverage of the 2021-22 season on Saturday 26 March 2022 at 2am on ESPN (DStv channel 218) and (GOtv channel 37).
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Oladipo, 29, was born in Maryland to Nigerian immigrants and has been on the books of the Miami Heat since 2021. He has also featured for the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets since he was the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
The guard has recently returned from a near year-long injury layoff, going through another recovery process following a second surgery on his right quadriceps tendon, which he originally injured while playing for the Pacers in January 2019.
“He has great fortitude,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s the toughest thing for a professional athlete is to get injured and most of your time is away from the team. Probably, when you talk about mental health, that is the most challenging thing for an athlete.
“You don’t necessarily always feel like you’re a part of it. You have doubts, you don’t know what it’s going to look like on the other side when you do get healthy, you’re not sure if all the work is really mattering. That’s a tough place for an athlete.”
Oladipo will add further strength to an already impressive Heat outfit which looks set to enter the Playoffs as one of the main contenders for Championship glory.
“He looks great,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. “He’s been working for, whew, a long time, countless amounts of hours, rehab, in the gym, in the weight room. And I’m excited for him to get back.”
Oladipo said when the season began that he wants to “have one of the best comeback stories ever.” Should he help Miami attain glory in the Playoffs, then he will surely have achieved his goal. “Through this entire process I’ve really respected and admired how Vic is able to keep his positive spirit,” Spoelstra said. “It really is a unique quality. I love that quality about him.”
Oladipo will look to continue his comeback by featuring for the Miami Heat when they welcome the New York Knicks to Florida for a Regular Season game on the morning of Saturday 26 March.
