Indiana Pacers star Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo aka “VO” has always been a trendsetter since his days as a star at high school basketball powerhouse DeMatha.
He then went onto make a name for himself at Indiana before being drafted No. 2 overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2013 NBA Draft. Now he’s tapped into some off the court ventures that’ll solidify his future once his playing days are over.
“VO” along with his business partner Jay Henderson, becomes part-owner of the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL. He and Henderson recently purchased their stake in the Breakers franchise joining the current ownership group. Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed Oladipo becomes one of the world’s youngest basketball team owners at just 28 years old.
NBA player Victor Oladipo is now one of the owners of the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League. https://t.co/EnM6yfDVft
— Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) November 20, 2020
Oladipo says he’s never been to New Zealand but took a liking to the game and Breakers franchise after watching 2020 NBA Draft gem LaMelo Ball play for the Illawarra Hawks last season.
He goes onto to say he’s always had an interest in being part of an ownership group of a team. He was always intrigued by the operations of team building; having input with a team and helping them become successful on the business side of things.
“VO” mentions he’s got a newfound respect for those in team executive roles.
The NBL is steadily growing and will continue to blossom. It’s a real competitive league with a ton of hidden and raw talent hoping to be seen and given an opportunity on the biggest stage at some point (NBA). LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton participating in the league instead of attending college helped bring some real national attention its way.
Oladipo says he plans to visit the club Auckland at least once a year. In the meantime, the club is preparing to head to the “Land Down Under” aka Australia at the start of December to begin preparation for mid-January tip-off to the Australian Basketball League.
The club announced plans to fly out on December 1st and will stay across the Tasman indefinitely. This due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has ravaged the world since earlier this year. Majority team owner Matt Walsh believes this will help them prepare with some sense of normalcy needed to compete for a championship at season’s end.
It’s all about safety while putting this franchise in the best possible position to win a title.
#PoVMasonSports
