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Victor Oladipo's All-Star memory had more to do with Jamie Foxx than hoops


Victor Oladipo’s All-Star Game debut was the culmination of an eventful weekend. His participation in the Slam Dunk Contest was underwhelming and in the main event on Sunday, he scored seven points and grabbed two rebounds in 15 minutes.

Oladipo’s All-Star “Mama, I made it”(or “Dad, I made it” in his case, after his father showed up to see him play live for the first time) came as an onlooker during Saturday’s Rising Stars Game and had less to do with his basketball ability than his extracurricular activities.

Oladipo’s comedy career will probably be short-lived, but music has emerged as his true off-court passion. In 2017, he released an R&B album, Songs For You and probably should have sang the national anthem instead of Fergie.

According to Sports Illustrated raconteur, Lee Jenkins, who profiled Oladipo, that’s when the Indiana Pacers star met Jamie Foxx, who expressed admiration for his music.

Via CBS Sports:

Seven months after the trade and the pep talk, Oladipo wore Sabonis’s jersey to the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night, and he was still rocking it when he spotted Jamie Foxx in the L.A. Convention Center parking garage. Oladipo grew up in the church choir and Foxx was his idol. “Hey, I like your music!” Foxx shouted. He scrolled through his phone and called up “Song For You,” the title track from the R&B album Oladipo released in October. Foxx blasted the catchy tune through his leather boombox backpack:

I’ve been so many places in my life and time,
Sung a lot of songs, I made some bad rhymes.
I’ve acted out my life in stages with 10,000 people watchin’.
We’re alone now, and I’m singing this song to you.

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo (4) brings the ball up court against the New York Knicks during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018. The Pacers defeated the Knicks 121-113. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo (4) brings the ball up court against the New York Knicks during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018. The Pacers defeated the Knicks 121-113. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Like Oladipo, Foxx is a multi-talented entertainer, but this is another sign that after years of wading his way neck-deep through the NBA waters, he’s finally made it as a prolific NBA star for Indiana. Despite his father finally attending one of his games for the first time, that memory paled in comparison to his interaction with Foxx.

Stunned, Oladipo burst into verse, and eventually Foxx joined him, providing backing vocals in the parking lot. On Sunday morning, when Oladipo was asked to rank his All-Star experiences, the encounter with Foxx finished first by far.

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