Hoosiers in the Pros: 6 Former Indiana Players on NBA Rosters Will Make Combined $51.6 Million This Year

There are six former Indiana basketball players on NBA rosters this year as the professional season resumes this week. Two of them — Victor Oladipo and Thomas Bryant — will start the season still recovering from injuries. Here's the breakdown on where they're at, how much they're making and what to expect this season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The 2021-22 NBA regular season started on Tuesday night, and rosters are now set for all 30 teams. There are six former Indiana basketball players in the league for now.

Two former Hoosiers — guard Victor Oladipo of the Miami Heat and center Thomas Bryant of the Washington Wizards — will be out for a while, still recovering from leg injuries. 

And one Hoosier has a new home, center Cody Zeller. He signed with the Portland Trail Blazers and spending the first eight years of his career with the Charlotte Hornets.

Good luck, Hoosiers.#ProIU | #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/L6PQGKpLBH

— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) October 19, 2021

All told, the six Hoosiers will earn a total of $51.6 million in salary this season. Here's a list of the six players, their time at Indiana and in the pros, their current contract situation and a bit on their team and their role:

O.G. Anunoby, Toronto Raptors

• Years at Indiana (2015-17): O.G. Anunoby played two seasons at Indiana and helped the Hoosiers win a Big Ten title in 2016. He injured his knee his sophomore year in January, and was lost for the season.
• NBA seasons: Anunoby was selected No. 23 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He won an NBA title with the Raptors in 2019. This is his fifth season in the league.
• Contract status: Anunoby is in the first year of a four-year, $72 million contract, and he will make $16.1 million this year. His rookie contract was for four years and $9.7 million. Counting this year, he has made nearly $25 million so far in the NBA.
• Anunoby in 2020-21: Anunoby played in only 43 games last season. He averaged 15.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but missed more than a third of the season because of a calf injury.
• Raptors last season: Toronto went 27-45 last year and missed the playoffs. They won a world championship in 2019.
• First game: Toronto lost 98-83 to the Washington Wizards, and Anunoby had a rough opener, going just 3-for-17 from the field — and 2-for-9 from threes — while scoring 11 points.
• What they're saying: “He’s going to be guarding the best players in the league every night because he can do it,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said of Anunoby, an elite defender who needs to be relied on more on the offensive end now, too. “He’s confident in his abilities right now. I think you're always searching more, you're finding ways to be open, get the ball, demand it on the post, and maybe the window of a driving lane is kind of there and maybe a year ago or two years ago that kind of [opportunity] wasn't taking, but if it's kind of there now, he's blasting through there.”

Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby (3) drives against the Washington Wizards during the season opener on Wednesday. (John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports)

Thomas Bryant, Washington Wizards

• Years at Indiana (2015-17): Thomas Bryant played two seasons at Indiana and helped the Hoosiers win a Big Ten title in 2016. He averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds during his two-year career.
• NBA seasons: Bryant was taken in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, but was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a draft night deal. He played only one season in LA, and then moved on to the Washington Wizards, where he's turned into one of the most efficient big men in the league. He's been a double-figures scorer all three years in Washington.
• Contract status: Bryant is in the final year of a three-year, $25 million contract and will make almost $8.7 million this season. Counting this year, he has made $27.1 million thus far in his NBA career
• Bryant in 2020-21: Bryant played only 10 games last year with the Wizards, tearing an ACL early in the season. It was a shame too, because he was off to a great start. averaging 14.3 points per game.
• Wizards last season:  The Wizards went 34-38 last season, and were the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. After winning a play-in game, they lost to No. 1 seed Philadelphia in five games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
• First game: The Wizards opened their season with a 98-83 win over the Toronto Raptors. Bryant, still recovering from ACL surgery, is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season.
• What they're saying: "I don't want to put a timeline on Thomas. He looks well ahead of schedule, I'll say that, with the things he's able to do on the floor. But I still think we need a cautious approach. He's come a long way. In my layman's eyes, he's probably ahead of schedule, but I'll leave those decisions to the medical people," Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "He feels good to be out there and his teammates look forward to him being part of what we're doing. We just have to kind of be the guys to keep him in check because he's eager to get out there and we don't want him to overextend himself at this point." 

Houston guard Eric Gordon (10) guards Minnesota's Malik Beasley (5) during the season opener on Wednesday. (Nick Wosika/USA TODAY Sports)

Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets

• Years at Indiana (2007-08): Eric Gordon played one season at Indiana, during Kelvin Sampson's final year. Gordon averaged 20.9 points per game, and was Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a third-team All-American. Indiana went 25-8 that year but lost to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament under interim coach Dan Dakich after Sampson had been fired. Gordon had his worst night as a Hoosier, making just 3-of-15 shots and scoring only 8 points.
• NBA seasons: Gordon was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers. He has played for three teams during his career, the Clippers, New Orleans and Houston. He is starting his 14th season in the league, and has scored 11,498 career points and is one of the best three-point shooters in the game.
• Contract status: Gordon is in the second year of a four-year, $75.6 million contract, and he makes $18.2 million this season. During his career, Gordon has made nearly $159 million.
• Gordon in 2020-21: Gordon only played 27 games last year because of a preseason knee injury. He averaged 17.8 points per game, and on Jan. 27, 2020, Gordon scored a career-high 50 points in a win against Utah.
• Rockets last season: Houston went 17-55 last year, the worst record in the league, after trading away most of its veterans in the start of a rebuild. It was a bit of a surprise that Gordon wasn't traded to a contender, but look for that to happen this season. 
• First game: Houston lost 124-106 to Minnesota on Wednesday night. Gordon played 23 minutes off the bench and scored 15 points, making 3-of-4 three pointers.
• What they're saying: “They always know, and it’s definitely not easy for my position,” Gordon says about Houston understanding how he feels about a potential trade. “But my ultimate goal is to just go out there and play, help, show that I’m healthy and gravitate to these guys to get better.”

Romeo Langford, Boston Celtics

• Years at Indiana (2018-19): Romeo Langford, a 6-foot-5 guard, played one season at Indiana in 2018-19 after a legendary high school career in New Albany, Ind. He was a five-star recruit, and the No. 1 shooting guard in the country, according to ESPN. He averaged 16.5 points per game despite playing with a torn ligament in his shooting hand, the highest among the Big Ten freshmen that season and the third-highest all-time among Indiana University freshmen, behind only Eric Gordon and Mike Woodson,  the Hoosiers' current coach.  
• NBA seasons: Langford was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He is starting his third year in Boston. The first two seasons have been disrupted by more injuries. He has played in only 50 of a possible 152 regular season games so far, averaging 2.7 points and 1.5 rebounds for his career.
• Contract status: Langford is in the third year of his four-year guaranteed rookie deal that's worth $16.5 million. He is making $3.8 million this season and, counting this season, he has made nearly $11 million so far during his career.
• Langford in 2020-21: Langford played in just 18 regular season games last year, but stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 27 minutes and 9.0 points per game in Boston's first-round loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Langford had 17 points in Game 4.
• Celtics last season: Boston went 36-36 last season, and was the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They were swept by the Nets in the first round.
• First game: Boston lost 138-134 in two overtimes to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Langford played 23 minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points, and was a force on the defensive end.
• What they're saying: “Romeo Langford played amazing,” Boston forward Jaylen Brown said of his teammate about Wednesday night's game. “Romeo, a young guy, he came out and you would’ve thought this is what he had been doing all along. So, continuing to get him those opportunities — I was extremely satisfied seeing what Romeo could do. I think he can continue to get better.”

Boston guard Romeo Langford (9) drives to the basket while being defended by Orlando guard Hassani Gravett. (Paul Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports)

Victor Oladipo, Miami Heat

• Years at Indiana (2010-13). Victor Oladipo, a 6-foot-4 guard, came to Indiana as a three-star player from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., and left three years later as the Sporting News National Player of the Year. He won a Big Ten title in 2013, and the Hoosiers were ranked No. 1 in the country early in that season, losing to Syracuse in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament. He scored 1,117 points in his IU career.
• NBA seasons: Victor Oladipo was the No. 2 overall pick of the Orlando Magic in the 2013 draft. He has played with five teams in the NBA, most notably with the Indiana Pacers from 2017 to 2021. He was traded last year and contract negotiations stalled on a long-term deal. This is his ninth NBA season.
• Contract status: Oladipo signed a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum ($2.39 million) after gambling and losing on free agency. In his first eight years, he had a rookie four-year contract worth about $21.5 million, and his second deal was four years for $84 million. Through this year, he has made nearly $108 million in salary.
• Oladipo in 2020-21: Oladipo played nine games for the Pacers, averaging 20.0 points per game before being traded to Houston. He played 21 games there for the Rockets, averaging 21.2 points per game, but then was traded again right before the deadline when he turned down a long-term offer from the Rockets. He only played five games with the Heat before suffering a season-ending quad injury
• Heat last season: The Heat finished 40-32 a year ago, and were the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They were swept 4-0 in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks
• First game: The Heat open the season Thursday night at home against Milwaukee. Oladipo, who is still recovering from right quadriceps tendon surgery, probably won't play until early 2022.
• What they're saying: “I wasn’t given the opportunity to be my best self here. I don’t know what our team would have done with a healthy version of me because I wasn’t given that opportunity. I was dealt a bad hand. I feel there’s unfinished business here. I feel like I came here for a reason and there’s a purpose for me being here, and I’m trying to find out what that is.” — Oladipo on why he returned to the Heat in free agency this offseason.

Cody Zeller, Portland Trail Blazers

• Years at Indiana (2011-13): Cody Zeller played two seasons at Indiana for Tom Crean. He won a Big Ten title in 2013. He was a second-team All-American and scored 1,157 points in his two seasons. 
• NBA seasons: He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, chosen by the Charlotte Hornets. He played eight seasons there before signing with the Portland Trail Blazers as a free agent in the offseason. He has averaged 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds for his career. He has started 273 of the 467 games he's played.
• Contract status: Zeller signed a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum ($2.39 million). His four-year rookie contract was for $17.4 million, and he signed another four-year deal in 2017 for $56 million. Through this year, he has made nearly $76 million in salary.
• Zeller in 2020-21: Zeller broke his hand in the season opener last year, so he only played in 48 of the Hornets' 72 games. He made 21 starts and averaged 9.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. 
• Trail Blazers last season: Portland finished with a xx record and was the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They lost 4-2 in the first round to the Denver Nuggets.
• First game: Portland lost 124-121 to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Zeller played 19 minutes off the bench, scoring 6 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. He missed three preseason games with a broken nose, getting clobbered by an inadvertent elbow from Golden State's Andre Iguodala on Oct. 4. Surgery was required to repair his nose.  (That had to be tough for the ego for 'Big Handsome.')
• What they're saying: “I guess you’ve got to be known for something,” said Zeller, who has broken his nose on several occasions during his career. “But I’ll stick my nose in there again. That’s a part of the game. I’ve played a reckless style of play my whole career. ... I felt like I had to sneeze for about a week, which was the worst part. I’m getting used to (wearing a mask). It’s mostly just kind of a nuisance, but it’ll help. I like being here. It’s a lot of fun being around an older, veteran group with a high basketball IQ.''

HELLO & WELCOME TO PORTLAND, CODY pic.twitter.com/6ZZFUvE63s

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 21, 2021

Portland Trail Blazers center Cody Zeller (40) dunks the basketball during the first half against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. (Troy Wayrynen/USA TODAY Sports)