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  Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo was born on May 4th, 1992. Known as a Nigerian American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA),
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He has played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where in the 2012-2013 season he was named the Sporting News Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year, the Co-NABC Defensive Player of the Year, and a first-team All-American by the USBWA and Sporting News. This same year, he was also named the winner of the Adolph Rupp Trophy, given annually to the top player in men’s NCAA Division I basketball.

Background

Oladipo was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. His mother, Joan Amanze Oladipo, a nurse, and father Christopher Oladipo are immigrants from Nigeria. Oladipo’s father is a public health executive for Prince George’s County, Maryland, with a PhD in behavioural science from the University of Maryland, College Park. Oladipo’s parents moved to the United States in 1985, where they were married. According to Nigerian Yoruba custom, the name Kehinde usually stems from the birth of twins; with the older twin named Taiye or Taiwo while the younger twin is referred to by the other name; Kehinde. Oladipo has three sisters, Kristine (1986), Kendra (1990), who became deaf in second grade, and therefore, a twin sister Victoria.
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Basketballing Attributes

By profile, Oladipo is a shooting guard who is also capable of playing point guard. Some, such as Indiana coach Tom Crean have attributed his success to his work ethic, which is regarded as extreme and also his pre-game preparations which involve film reviews. While balling, His style is regarded as entertaining to fans especially with his exciting dunks. One announcer Clark Kellogg noted, “Victor Oladipo is like a baby’s bottom, smooth and sometimes… explosive.” In his offensive play, Oladipo is capable of aggressively and quickly driving to the basket, aided by his leaping ability. Following a victory by Indiana over #1 ranked Michigan, coach John Beilein remarked,
“I’ve seen a lot of players. I don’t know whether I’ve seen one quicker or faster, more athletic, than Oladipo. It’s tough to stay in front of him.” His offensive proficiency improved as his outside shooting range improved each year of his collegiate career.”
On his defensive play, Oladipo has been described as a “lockdown off-ball defender who can defend multiple positions”. He has the quickness to guard point guards and the strength and athleticism to guard a forward if caught in a mismatch. His athleticism and anticipation make it hard to set a screen on him. He also rebounds well at his position.

Victor Oladipo’s Music

But away from his balling profile for which He is most popular, Victor Oladipo is also a singer/musician, with an EP, Songs for You in 2017 to his name, and his debut album V.O. in 2018. He also appeared as the Thingamajig in season 2 of The Masked Singer, finishing in 5th. His Songs for You EP features artists such as Eric Bellinger and 2 Chainz. His debut album V.O. features artists such as Trey Songz, Tory Lanez, PnB Rock & Eric Bellinger, and was released in late November of 2018. Sources: Basketball-Reference Wikipedia.org Genius Featured Image Source: ESPN
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This article was first published on 26th July 2021

jeremiah

Jeremiah is a scholar and a poet. He has a keen eye for studying the world and is passionate about people. He tweets at @jeremiahaluwong.


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