Exclusive: Victor Oladipo ready for NBA comeback after strong performances with Loong-Lions

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Exclusive: Victor Oladipo ready for NBA comeback after strong performances with Loong-Lions

Tomer Azarly, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 ·

7 min read

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The post Exclusive: Victor Oladipo ready for NBA comeback after strong performances with Loong-Lions appeared first on ClutchPoints .

OCEANSIDE, CA — The Los Angeles Clippers kicked off their 2025 preseason with a game against the visiting Guangzhou Loong-Lions. And while Kawhi Leonard , James Harden , and co. began what they hope will be a season culminating in an NBA Championship, Victor Oladipo played in what he hopes will be the start of his return to the NBA court.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Oladipo joined the Loong-Lions on a short-term contract through the NBA's preseason. The Chinese team is in the midst of a three-game stretch in the United States that started with the San Antonio Spurs on October 6th, moved to Southern California for a matchup with the LA Clippers, and will conclude with a contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 13th.

The Clippers defeated the Loong-Lions handily on Thursday night, 142-95, but Oladipo put on a strong performance with 24 points, five assists, two steals, and one blocked shot on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from three.

After the game, the 33-year old says he's still pursuing an NBA comeback despite being perceived as, "old," in the NBA.

"I don't believe in age, bro," Victor Oladipo told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. "I know the world might tell me I'm 33, but I don't feel 33. I know I've been through a lot and you've got a decision to make once you go through a lot. It'll make you or break you, and I choose to be made. So I'm just doing my best. I'm challenging myself every day, taking it one day at a time, and enjoying the marathon."

Oladipo certainly didn't look like a 33-year old on the court, where he routinely showcased his speed with the ball, his athleticism in transition, and his his shot-making ability against high-level defenders like Kawhi Leonard.

In the first half alone, Oladipo recorded team-highs of 21 points and five assists in 18 minutes and 33 seconds of play. His five dimes directly led to 14 points — four three-pointers and one two-pointer — keeping the Clippers' lead over the Loong Lions at the half at a shocking five points, 69-64.

Victor Oladipo believes he should be in the NBA, and while the guard admits he has an uphill battle due to his history with significant injuries, this already wasn't a player who needed much motivation.

"Honestly, if we was in a practice gym or in the back of a dump truck, it don't matter," Oladipo said to ClutchPoints. "As long as there's a rectangle and people there competing, I'm going to play at the highest level I can.

"The NBA is where I'm supposed to be at. And if the opportunity presents itself, I'm going to be ready. I've been ready, if I'm being honest, but yes, I'm ready."

Oladipo is a two-time NBA All-Star with the Indiana Pacers , and appeared poised for a rise in the ranks of the NBA's elite after being traded to the Indiana Pacers along with Domantas Sabonis in exchange for Paul George .

In the 2017-18 season, his first with the Pacers, Oladipo averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals while shooting a career-high both from the field (47.7 percent) and from three (37.1 percent).

But the guard has suffered a ruptured right quadriceps tendon in January 2019 that held him out of the entire 2018-19 season as well as most of the 2019-20 campaign. He then bounced around the league, playing with the Houston Rockets , and Miami Heat before suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee, requiring another surgery and officially putting an end to his 2022-23 season.

"I've been getting closer to source," Oladipo said of his two years away from the NBA spotlight. "I've been getting closer to God, and truly understanding who I am and where I am.

Despite multiple run-ins with knee and ankle injuries, Victor Olapipo is built for the grind of this comeback attempt.

"It's because of my soul," Oladipo said when asked about his resilience. "My soul was made to carry heavy burdens and to overcome them. I don't recognize myself as a normal, a norm, and I don't compare myself to other people's stories or however they've been through or whatever they've been through. I just focus on myself, my journey, and continue to better myself."

Even Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who finished with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 5-of-8 from three, recognized how impressive Oladipo looked in the game.

"Vic looked good," Kawhi Leonard told ClutchPoints. "I thought he was moving well. You see that transition lob he caught, knocking down his three-point shot, getting to the paint. I think he looked good to me. He's moving well. I mean, that's all you want to really see. He said he feels great. And I'm just happy for him."

Tyronn Lue, then the coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers , had to gameplan for Oladipo and his Pacers during the 2017-18 postseason.

"He took us to Game 7 in Cleveland when he was in Indiana," Lue recalled . "His ability to guard, defend, but also to get downhill and to get to the basket. He was relentless. He's a relentless scorer, so I'm just happy to see him back healthy again and getting an opportunity to play basketball again."

Jordan Miller , who checked into the game two minutes after tip-off to replace the injured Bogdan Bogdanovic , also liked what he saw from Oladipo in the time they shared the floor together.

"I agree he should be in the NBA," Miller added. "I mean, he's a pro player. He still has quickness, still has his ability to shot-make. But his journey, at the end of the day, is his journey. I do think he should still be in there, but that's not my decision to make."

Victor Oladipo reportedly held workouts with teams throughout the summer, including one in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League where he was reportedly in, "excellent shape."

The guard, however, still hasn't been signed to a team, with the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement as one of the barriers currently standing in the way. But he remains hopeful and ready to join a team when called upon.

"You know, it's different. The CBA is different. The business is different. I've just got to wait and see. Time will tell. I'm kind of coming out of nowhere, so I don't think I was a part of people's business plans as far as the game goes. Hopefully, I get an opportunity soon. I'll be ready for whatever."

Many teams throughout the NBA have centered their operations around the new CBA, focusing on avoiding the dreaded second apron unless they've built a team with a legitimate chance to win an NBA Championship.

"[NBA teams] tell me I look good, but again, you can tell someone that, but there's only so much you can do, right? There's a [salary] cap. It's the business aspect of it. Again, I just have to be patient, and I'm staying patient and continuing to better myself and prepare myself for any opportunity."

Through two appearances in the preseason, Oladipo is averaging 22 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.5 steals, and 1.0 block per game on 51.6 percent shooting from the field. His last opportunity in this preseason will be Monday, October 13th when the Loong-Lions visit the Minnesota Timberwolves.

There are likely no shortage of suitors ready to swoop in and sign Victor Oladipo under the right circumstances. Until then, all the guard can — and will — do is continue to be ready for when his phone rings with another NBA opportunity.

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