Victor Oladipo To Put Taco Skills To The Test For A Good Cause

While the NBA seeks solutions to conclude the 2019-20 season, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is doing all he can to remain ready while also making the most of the additional free time.

The two-time All-Star hosted a virtual concert on the NBA’s Instagram account in April and will soon be heading into a fairly new arena for Cinco de Mayo.

Cholula will host a virtual #TacoTuesday to help raise funds for independent restaurants. Oladipo will be one of many celebrity hosts that will be streaming live from their Instagram handles as they cook their favorite taco recipes. The action begins on Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. ET. He will co-host with Chef Christina Tosi and other hosts include Dwyane Wade, actress Sophia Bush, Chef Tom Colicchio and chef Aarón Sánchez.

As of this writing, Oladipo had just recently cooked his first meal a few weeks ago but isn’t lacking in confidence because of the inexperience or from having to perform in on a live platform.

For each view the hosts receive, Cholula will pledge $1, up to $100,000 (with a minimum contribution of $50K) via saverestaurants.com. Through Operation Taco Tuesday, Cholula is also working to support local restaurants and front line workers by bringing the hot sauce and tacos to medical staff and essential workers at different hospitals each week.

Oladipo spoke with Forbes on the initiative, the importance in helping those on the front lines and how he’s been working to stay ready for whatever is next.

Playing in front of 20,000 a night is one thing, but cooking in front of a people is foreign to you. Are there any nerves going into this?

Victor Oladipo: I probably cooked my first meal about three weeks ago and I did it again about a week later. I would say that I’m a little bit nervous, but now that I’ve conquered my fear a little bit, I’m looking forward to it. Plus, I think people want to see me do something outside of my comfort zone and that’s when I’m at my best. I’m looking forward to it and it should be fun. 

Have you strategized about the ingredients you’ll be using?

Not yet but it just depends on how I’m feeling. We’ll see when we get there and the variety of things they have. I like a little bit of everything with anything I eat so when it comes to tacos, I’m sure it will be similar. It should be a dope experience. 

This is going to a great cause and it touches home with you as a lot of your family are healthcare workers. What has it been like to see the outpouring of support and appreciation for those who have been on the frontlines during this pandemic?

It has been monumental and it’s huge for our growth as a nation. At the end of the day, it’s not going to just take just one person, or five or 10 to help get us through dealing with Covid-19. We’re going to need everybody, especially to help the healthcare workers. There’s only so many of them and there are so many cases that we might not have all the resources needed to take care of everyone. Anything that we can do, or any company can do to help the healthcare workers is going to be beneficial, not only to those who work in healthcare but that essentially ends up helping those who do catch the virus. It’s huge and I’m just gracious and honored to be part of something that helps some. 

Since the season has been suspended, you’ve hosted a concert series already on the NBA Instagram account. Do you have any plans to do anything else anytime soon?

I do have a few things coming up that I think will pique the fans interest. There a few things that will open their eyes a little bit. I’m looking forward to expressing myself so that the people can feel my energy. 

Before it was announced the season would be suspended, The Pacers appeared to begin to find a rhythm and your timing was coming back. How frustrating was it to have things come to a halt right when things for you and the team were trending upward?

It was kind of a tough situation to fathom seeing as how we had just been playing two days before things were shut down. It was kind of nerve-wrecking because of the unknown — not knowing the extent of the virus and what comes with it. In that aspect, everyone was a little nervous. As far as hooping, you can only control what you can control. I had two decisions to make. I could either look at it in a positive or negative way. Me being who I am, I had to look at it in a positive way. 

I’m just using this time to continue to grow. I’m using this time to continue to build the strength in my knee and [quadricep] tendon so that I can come back better than I was when I was healthy. That’s what I’ve been focused on everyday since the quarantine started. It’s a tough and weird time but everything happens for a reason. It’s up to us to choose what we do with the time that’s given to us. Seeing as how we’re locked down, we have to be creative and figure out ways to get better. 

With facilities being shut down since mid-March, how have you been keeping in shape?

I have a private gym here in Orlando so I have the opportunity to still go to a basketball facility with no one being in there besides me and my trainer. I’ve also turned my garage into a weight room. With the injury I had, the best way to strengthen it and make it feel better is to load it to stress the tendon in order for it to grow stronger. I’m doing that to the best of my abilities and getting the basketball aspect of things for the tendon when I get to the court. I’m definitely lucky because I need it with the injury I had. I’m just trying to make the most this time. 

What are some of the other ways you’re utilizing this time? 

I’m definitely working on some new music, getting sent some new beats and trying to write some more. My biggest focus though is my knee, my body and getting that healthy, strong and getting ready for whatever happens next. At the end of the day, we don’t know what happens next but the best thing we can do is prepare for anything so that whatever happens, you’re ready for it. I just got into Ozark and I’m almost on Season 2. I’ve been watching Money Heist and I’ve watched Tiger King. I have a lot of time after I’m done working and I try to dive into whatever pique’s my interest. 

The Last Dance documentary has provided NBA fans a great source of entertainment during this time. You’ve been with the Jordan Brand since being drafted. What has been your most memorable Jordan moment?

The first time I met him was crazy, obviously. It was my rookie year during All-Star weekend in New Orleans but that wouldn’t be the story that I would tell people because it was just a quick greeting. With going to more Jordan events and becoming more successful, we’ve established a relationship. One time we were in New York at this Jordan event. I was talking to him and we had mentioned playing one on one. He told me if he was 20 years younger, he would’ve been really upset because I told him I felt I could beat him. But he told me, “Right now, I’m not messing with you so leave me alone.”

It’s funny because he’s kept his competitive nature. He’s really competitive and confident and it’s unmatched. It’s something I and everyone else admires about him. That’s what makes him so special. Along with his God-given abilities, his mindset is different from everyone else. It’s been great being a part of the brand and they’ve done a great job at making it family orientated and making sure everyone feels good with the position they’re in and the impact they have on the brand. I’m blessed and fortunate to be a part of that.