Kelly Oubre Jr. left the Philadelphia 76ers in NBA free agency over the summer.
Now with the Indiana Pacers, Oubre got a chance to return to Xfinity Mobile Arena for the first time on Sunday afternoon to take on his former team.
While Oubre has history with the Sixers—and technically could’ve returned to the Sixers for another run—the veteran wing admitted that he heard “whispers” that first-year President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey had a plan to add some guys from his former team.
Philly’s first signing ended up being Dean Wade from the Cleveland Cavaliers. While Oubre wasn’t ruled out for Gansey and the 76ers right out of the gate, Oubre seemed to have an idea that his time was up in Philadelphia.
“I heard whispers that he wanted some of his Cleveland guys, and I was like, ‘OK, cool. I’m a Philly guy. So, I guess you know when he comes over, I will no longer be a Philly guy,’ and that was kind of the situation at hand,” Oubre told reporters on November 15, according to Sixers Wire.
“No bad blood, because business is business at the end of the day. They have a great team over there, and they put together a team that they think that’s the best for them. So I’ll be alright elsewhere. So I figured it out.”
Kelly Oubre Jr. Joins The Pacers
After spending the past few seasons starting for the Sixers, Oubre became intrigued by the Indiana Pacers.
Pace, culture, attitude, and the coaching staff played a part in appealing to Oubre over the summer.
“It’s a fast-paced style of basketball. It’s a bunch of guys who work collectively as a unit, and kind of figure it out from there. I thought that would be a great opportunity for me to kind of just come and free flow play,” Oubre explained.
“…Coach Rick Carlisle is a legend, Hall of Fame coach, and they wanted me. So, I love people who want me.”
Heading into Sunday’s action, Oubre had appeared in 11 games for the Pacers. He started in seven of those matchups, and averages 24.0 minutes per game.
With his playing time slightly down in Indiana, Oubre has posted averages of 10.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He shoots 43.9% from the field and has hit just 21.4% of his threes, while taking 3.8 threes per game.
During his time with the Sixers, Oubre appeared in 178 games. He produced 14.9 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game.
