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Victor Oladipo joins group to purchase New Zealand team
By: Mike Stiles - Saturday, November 21, 2020


(UNDATED) – While Victor Oladipo's future with the Indiana Pacers remains murky, he has found a franchise-altering deal elsewhere. Oladipo told The Associated Press that he and business manager Jay Henderson have joined an ownership group that includes former Florida basketball player Matt Walsh to purchase the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it will make the 28-year-old Oladipo one of world's youngest basketball team owners, and the owner of the New Zealand team's home arena. The announcement comes at a time some have questioned Oladipo's commitment to the Pacers. He initially opted out of playing in the NBA's coronavirus bubble this summer over concerns about his injured right knee. Eventually, he backtracked and did play in Orlando, Florida. Of a report last week that he had repeatedly asked opposing players in the bubble whether they'd be interested in having him as a teammate, Oladipo said: "It is what it is, it's over with now. Emotions were felt. I have no ill will toward anybody. In the meantime, Oladipo has continued rehabbing his knee and says he feels as close to 100% as he has at any point since rupturing his quadriceps tendon in January 2019. And he continues to contemplate life after basketball. While the two-time All-Star guard still will get an up-close look at how management makes decisions, deals with salary caps and evaluates talent, he will not be running the day-to-day operations. Oladipo has never traveled to New Zealand but has promised to make at least one trip per year to Auckland, where the team is based.



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