Miami Heat G Victor Oladipo suffers another major injury, tears patellar tendon in left knee

The Miami Heat will continue their upset quest in the first round of the NBA playoffs without another key player.

After he appeared to suffer a serious knee injury late in Miami's blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Victor Oladipo will miss the rest of the playoffs with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, an MRI revealed. The Heat announced the injury Sunday after Stadium was the first to report the news.

This marks the third significant injury Oladipo, 30, has faced over the last four years of his career. He will also join Heat guard Tyler Herro on the sidelines, after Herro suffered a broken right hand in Game 1 of the series April 16. Oladipo was in line to get more playing time the rest of the postseason after Herro had sustained his injury.

During the play, Oladipo's left knee appeared to go out on him as he drove toward the basket and drew a foul with 3:56 to Saturday night. He immediately clutched at the knee, drawing concern from his Heat teammates and the ESPN announcers. A stretcher was brought onto the court for him, but he walked to the locker room with assistance as fans in Miami chanted "di-po." 

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The Heat took a 2-1 series lead after topping Milwaukee 121-99, as the Bucks continued to be without star player and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

What other injuries has Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo faced?

The second overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, Oladipo became a two-time All-Star for the Indiana Pacers in 2017-18 and 2018-19. But his career has largely been sidetracked by injuries.

A ruptured quad tendon ended Oladipo's 2018-19 season, and he was out over a year until he returned in January 2020. He was traded to the Heat in January 2021, but played in just four games for the team that season and appeared in only eight games last season, though he did play all but three playoff games as the Heat reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. This year Oladipo appeared in 42 regular-season games. He had logged eight points in 19 minutes when he exited injured.

Since suffering his first major injury with the Pacers in 2019, Oladipo has sat out 255 of 374 games in that span, being inactive for 226 of those.

What have Miami Heat players and coaches said about Victor Oladipo?

Coach Erik Spoelstra: "Yes, there are injuries. That is a part of this game. We understand that. But the human side of it, when you see somebody that’s overcome so much and he’s done it time and time and time again, and he always does it with an incredible positive spirit and a smile on his face – even last night … that’s why I admire him so much."

Forward Cody Zeller, a teammate of Oladipo's at college in Indiana: "The physical toll of rehab is tough but mentally, it’s even tougher. And he’s always so positive. He’ll attack this rehab like he has the others. Mentally, I don’t know how he does it. There’s a lot of long days, a lot of slow days and it’s tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m just sick for him."

Guard Duncan Robinson: "Never count him out. But it hurts."

Contributing: Jace Evans

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat's Victor Oladipo to miss NBA playoffs with torn patellar tendon