'No Place Like Home': Victor Oladipo Visits Indiana Basketball Practice

"No place like home," Oladipo said in an X post Thursday night.

Oladipo averaged 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game across three seasons in Bloomington. He began his tenure as a bench piece and capped his career as a first-team All-American, tallying 13.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest in 2012-13 while leading the Big Ten with a 59.9% field goal rate and 2.2 steals per game.

The Upper Marlboro, Md., native earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13, when he also became the first IU player to earn Co-Defensive Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Now, photos of Oladipo hang throughout Cook Hall. He admired one Thursday with Johnson, who coached him on the AAU circuit in Maryland and again in his final season at Indiana.

And despite Oladipo's lack of ties to the majority of the Hoosiers' roster and coaching staff, he remains treated like royalty in Bloomington.

"I love y'all," Oladipo said on Instagram. "Thank you for the love in return."

Oladipo, who hasn't played a live game since tearing his left patellar tendon April 22, 2023, is attempting an NBA comeback. The 33-year-old said in an X post July 13 that his mind, body and soul feel better than they have in the past seven years.

"I know I can help any team in any role win in any way," Oladipo said. "I also know the people want to see me succeed in this game and play at the highest level again. My injuries are behind me and it will never happen again. I am at peace with that and my past. I’m ready to build a present now and future of a lifetime.

"I want to show the world that even in the darkest of places and during the darkest times the light in you can lead to the brightest destinations."

Oladipo hopes Bloomington won't be his final destination, but his star still shines bright inside the program he helped rebuild over a decade ago.