Pacers' Victor Oladipo headed to NBA All-Star Game

INDIANAPOLIS – Joan Oladipo received a phone call Tuesday night that she has been expecting for a long, long time.

It sounded something like this:

“Mom...”

“Yes?”

“I’m an all-star.”

On Tuesday night, for the first time in his five-year career and in the fulfillment of one of his childhood dreams, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo was named an  NBA All-Star. The league unveiled the 12 reserves who will join the 10 starters, who had previously been announced, in Los Angeles in mid-February.

Oladipo had vowed that the first call he would make would be to his mother.

“That woman believed in me when I was in the womb,” Oladipo said after practice earlier Tuesday at St. Vincent’s Center. “Before I was even born. She saw something when I was little kid walking around to the man I am today. That woman is my No. 1 fan.”

“I’ll call my dad right after,” Oladipo added with a smile. “My mom and dad are my first two calls.”

Tuesday’s announcement was a mere formality for Oladipo, whose credentials are beyond reproach. His 24.2 points per game are more than every guard in the Eastern Conference outside of Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan, choosen as all-star game starters. Oladipo averages 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists per game and is among the league leaders in steals despite missing five games this year. He is a stout defender and electrifying dunk artist and has led a Pacers (25-22) team almost no one — outside of their locker room — thought would contend this season into the thick of the playoff race.

“Facts are facts,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. “You look at his numbers; you look at the team numbers … and I think that speaks for itself.”

While Tuesday’s announcement was not unexpected, that doesn’t mean it was unappreciated. Oladipo, cast off by two teams in four years, worked relentlessly this past offseason to take his game to another next level. He changed his habits. He changed his diet. He changed his workout regimen. He changed everything in hopes of proving wrong every person who thought the Pacers got the raw end of the Paul George trade. And making the teams who gave up on him regret it.

He didn’t just do it for them. He also did it for himself and for those who have always believed in him.

“I just want to be the best,” said Oladipo, who has no qualms about saying he wants his career to end with his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Whatever defines that, that’s what I’m trying to do. I want to be the best. Whoever No. 1 is, that’s who I’m chasing.”

This season the silky smooth Oladipo has been a force for the Pacers and quickly become one of the most beloved athletes in the city. His high-octane style, flair for the dramatic and love of the game have enraptured his newest fans.

“This is my city,” Oladipo says as he points to the floor in what has become his signature celebration at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. And as the the crowd grew to love him, the Pacers improved their play, and the rest of the league began to take notice.

Before most  Pacers games, opposing coaches talk about how critical it will be to slow down Oladipo and not let him take over games. They refer to him as a playmaker, a difference-maker and an all-star.

On Tuesday night, that moniker became a reality. And while Oladipo will surely enjoy some level of validation that the selection provides, he’ll be the first to say there’s still plenty of work left to be done.

“(Being an all-star) is one of the dreams,” said Oladipo, who became the 13th all-star in Pacers franchise history. “You have a lot of dreams as a kid. Being in the NBA, being successful, being one of the greats. I have a lot of work to do before all of my dreams to come true.”

Joining Oladipo as NBA All-Star reserves are Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bradley Beal and John Wall of the Washington Wizards, and Al Horford of the Boston Celtics.  

This season, unlike in previous years, the All-Star game will not be East vs. West. Instead, the NBA introduced a new format in which two captains – the two highest vote-getters from fan/media/player voting -- select their units in an untelevised draft Thursday. This year, LeBron James and Stephen Curry were voted team captains and will select their teams from the pool of reserves above, as well as the eight other players who were voted starters:  Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Irving, DeRozan, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. The teams will be announced Thursday night.

Oladipo narrowly missed being selected a starter, finishing behind East guards Irving and DeRozan in the fan/media/player voting.

The all-star game will be Feb. 18 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Follow IndyStar Sports reporter Jim Ayello on Twitter and Instagram: @jimayello.

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