INDIANAPOLIS – Victor Oladipo is sorry for the lies. It might have been the only part of his saga with “The Masked Singer” he didn’t enjoy.
“There were full-blown debates with little kids and grown human beings about why it wasn’t me and why I don’t watch the show, so I apologize for anyone I lied to,” said the Pacers All-Star in his first interview with local media after he was eliminated from Fox’s celebrity singing competition last week. “I had no choice. I hope you guys will forgive me.
“You sign some NDAs, so you’re not really supposed to say much at all. So I’m not going to break that, but it was really hard.”
The birth of Oladipo’s character, Thingamajig, didn’t come to fruition until earlier this summer when he was living in Miami and working full-time on his injury rehab, when Fox reached out to his marketing representatives.
But as Oladipo explains, his answer was so easy because the idea had already been planted while he watched the show’s first season a year ago.
More: Victor Oladipo says he ‘loved every minute’ of being the Thingamajig on ‘Masked Singer’
“A year before, I was watching the show with one of my good friends from St. Louis, Alex Rich, and he told me I should be on the show,” Oladipo said. “A year later, the opportunity presented itself, and it was a no-brainer for me.”
Never one to be anything but his true, unabashed self – singing in the locker room, during 3-point shooting drills and all across his social media channels – Oladipo has long been known as a talented singer. One of his first viral moments came eight years ago as an Indiana University sophomore when he belted out Usher’s “U Got It Bad” with his teammates as backup dancers during the team’s Hoosier Hysteria preseason fan celebration.
Though the show appears to have provided the opportunity for future recording for the Pacers leader, that was never the point.
“At the end of the day, I was always told, ‘If you have a gift, you should share it,’ ’cause if you don’t, there’s no use to it,” he said. “Now people are talking about how they want more music, and that time will come when I can do that. But my first love is what I do every day, and I’m thankful for that.
“Music is kinda a hobby for me, but I enjoy making music and sharing it with the world.”
But don’t think Oladipo didn’t throw himself full-on into the TV show, which was filmed entirely during a busy stint in August, well before the Pacers began training camp or any sort of organized team activities.
He wouldn’t pick who he expects to win Wednesday’s final showdown – in part because even he doesn’t know the remaining characters’ identities, and also because his competitive fire left him inflamed he didn’t make it one show further.
“It was something new I’d never done before, but once I got the hang of it and kinda used to it, the competitive juices started flowing,” he said. “Unfortunately, I came up short.
“But for somebody that doesn’t do it every day, I think I did pretty good.”
Moments after the hysteria of Oladipo’s unveiling during last Wednesday’s show, attention went to his chemistry with one of the show’s judges, Nicole Scherzinger, a former singer with The Pussycat Dolls who has moved on to an extensive TV career.
The actress hadn’t been shy about her attraction to Oladipo’s character, and when he finally took off his mask, judge Jenny McCarthy asked if he would be up for a date.
“Of course,” he said at the time. “We can go anywhere, anytime, any place.”
But apparently, diving into the celebrity dating world isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Which is fine, Oladipo said. Basketball – his biggest love – is already occupying plenty of his time as he works toward making it back to playing in front of Pacers fans this season.
At least, if you can believe him.
“I haven’t gone on a date with Nicole,” he chuckled. “I don’t think she’s really interested after I took off the mask, unfortunately. Maybe if I walked around with the mask on, she’d be more interested. It’s unfortunate, but you never know what the future holds.
“Maybe it’ll change. I’ve got to post better pictures.”
