The pair whose names adorn the lounge in the IU basketball team room are back in the same uniform.
For the first time in ten years, Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller will be teammates.
On Monday the Miami Heat announced the signing of Zeller, thereby reuniting the duo who led IU to two of their best seasons in the last 20 years.
For Zeller, the moves resuscitates a career. He last appeared in an NBA game more than a year ago — on Jan. 10, 2022. Overall last season he played in 27 games with the Portland Trail Blazers and averaged 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 13.1 minutes of action while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 77.6 percent from the foul line.
The former fourth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and 2013-14 NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection scored in double figures twice last season while grabbing at least six rebounds 11 times and dishing out multiple assists on three occasions. Additionally, Zeller has appeared in 494 career NBA games (273 starts) averaging 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 22.2 minutes while shooting 52 percent from the field and 73.1 percent from the foul line.
Zeller will wear number 44 for the Heat. He’ll join fellow 30-year-old Oladipo on the Miami roster.
Oladipo has appeared in 26 games for the Heat this year. He’s averaging 11.2 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 28.4 minutes per contest. He’s battled major knee injuries over the last four years after becoming an NBA All-Star in 2018 and 2019.
Oladipo and Zeller were teammates on Indiana’s 2011-12 and 2012-13 squads. The Hoosiers went 56-16 those two seasons and won the 2013 Big Ten outright title.
The pair entered the 2013 NBA Draft and were both top-four selections, with Oladipo chosen second and Zeller fourth.
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