Three Former Indiana Hoosiers Reach 2023 NBA Finals

Thomas Bryant reached the 2023 NBA Finals with the Denver Nuggets, where he'll match up against the Miami Heat and fellow former Hoosiers Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller.

The 2023 NBA Finals matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat includes three former Hoosiers: Thomas Bryant, Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller. The trio all played under former Indiana coach Tom Crean, won a Big Ten title and reached the Sweet 16 during their Hoosier careers.

Bryant will make the first NBA Finals appearance of his career after being traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Denver Nuggets midway through the 2022-23 season.

The 6-foot-10 center was having one of his best seasons in the NBA with the Lakers this year, starting 25 games and averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds. But when Lakers center Anthony Davis returned from injury, Bryant's playing time diminished and ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that Bryant grew unhappy in his role and asked for a trade. The Lakers traded Bryant to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 9 for Davon Reed and three second-round picks. 

Denver Nuggets center Thomas Bryant (13) gestures in the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Ball Arena / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Since joining the Nuggets, Bryant has played 18 games with one start, averaging 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game. With two-time MVP center Nikola Jokic leading the Nuggets, Bryant hasn't played in the playoffs. 

Bryant's college coach, Tom Crean, congratulated the former Hoosier big man on reaching the NBA Finals.

Congratulations to everyone with the @nuggets and especially to @nolimittb31 who will make his first @NBA Finals appearance. We are all proud of him. @IndianaMBB https://t.co/YUzYrt0r1q

— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) May 23, 2023

Oladipo played an important role at times for the Miami Heat this year, but he'll have to watch the Finals from the sideline. After scoring 15 points in Game 2 of Miami's first-round matchup against the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks, Oladipo totaled eight points in Game 3 before going down with another serious injury. The 30-year-old guard tore the patellar tendon in his left knee on April 22, an injury that could keep him out for roughly six months.

The two-time NBA All-Star's career has been marred by serious injuries in recent years, limiting him to just 156 games over the last four seasons. After his most recent injury, his Heat teammates showed support by wearing Oladipo t-shirts before their playoff game against the Bucks.

The Heat show love to Victor Oladipo after he suffered a season-ending injury ❤️

(via @MiamiHEAT) pic.twitter.com/BwznE4oPar

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 24, 2023

In addition to two All-Star selections, Oladipo was a third-team All-NBA and first-team All-Defensive selection in 2017-18 for the Indiana Pacers. Across 10 NBA seasons, he's averaging 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 397 starts and 504 total games played. Oladipo was the No. 2 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft after being a first-team All-American for the 2012-13 Big Ten champion Indiana Hoosiers

Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo (4) drives to the basket in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks during game three of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Zeller will likely play the biggest role of the three Hoosiers in this year's NBA Finals. The 6-foot-11 center has appeared in 16 games off the bench during Miami's playoff run, scoring a playoff-high six points with six rebounds against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Zeller is averaging 9.2 minutes per game during the playoffs as the backup to Bam Adebayo, an NBA All-Defensive second-team selection this year. 

Zeller joined his college teammate, Oladipo, during the 2022-23 season when the Heat signed Zeller to a one-year deal on Feb. 20. He scored season-high 20 points with eight rebounds on April 1. 

Across 10 NBA seasons, Zeller is averaging 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds with 536 total games played and 277 starts. Zeller was the No. 4 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats after winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Indiana in 2011-12 and earning second-team All-American honors in 2012-13.

Miami Heat center Cody Zeller (44) shoots against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) and center Robert Williams III (44) in the second quarter during game five of the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at TD Garden / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Crean gave a shoutout to Zeller and Oladipo for their accomplishments this season, including a few pictures from their time together at Indiana.

This is awesome. ⁦@VicOladipo⁩ and ⁦@CodyZeller⁩ in the ⁦@NBA⁩ Finals with the ⁦@MiamiHEAT⁩ Congratulations to all of them and their families. Much deserved
⁦@IndianaMBB⁩ pic.twitter.com/M9s7IBrysG

— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) May 30, 2023

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