Kelly Oubre Jr.'s multi-dimensional life shifts back to basketball
Oubre is in Orlando with the Suns, but his playing status remains up in the air following meniscus surgery.
The post pinned to the top of Kelly Oubre Jr.’s Twitter profile is a TikTok video of him jumping out of bed wearing nothing but purple leisure shorts, and rushing to a laptop computer.
It’s a promotion for his Dope Soul “Quarantine & Chill” clothing line launched in late May, which he hoped would “allow people to enjoy being comfortable and wavy in their own home.”
Oubre has always been a multi-faced human being, which contributes to his immense popularity with Suns supporters and across the NBA. The outside-of-basketball endeavors will continue in Orlando. Oubre plans to give those who sign up for his text and photo service a peek inside the Walt Disney World campus environment. He has also created a “Bubble Boyz” playlist on Spotify and iTunes.
Yet this restart also allows Oubre to bring focus back to the court following meniscus surgery, even if his playing status remains up in the air.
“(I’m) constantly getting better with my guys each and every day,” Oubre said Tuesday on a videoconference with reporters. “Health status is up to the staff. I feel fine. My main focus is (being) here to support my teammates and continue to get better and be a leader. Everything else is out of my hands.”
Oubre was having the best season of his five-year career prior to the injury, averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 35.2 percent on 5.5 3-point attempts per game. His game thrives on making something happen with the ball in his hands and exploding to the basket — and bringing infectious energy at all times.
Suns coach Monty Williams said Tuesday that Oubre’s knee is “totally healed” and that his body has regained its trademark bounce. But Oubre has not yet hit specific rehab “benchmarks” set by the medical staff and Oubre himself. He has participated in shooting drills and some conditioning work with teammates during practice, but spends most of each session rehabbing on the side.
“There’s still some things that he would have to be comfortable doing,” Williams said, “(and that) we would have to be comfortable (with), based on our medical staff giving him the OK.”
Still, the limited team work is the most recent step of Oubre’s injury/recovery timeline that could be described as unlucky.
Oubre had surgery in early March, less than two weeks before the NBA shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Suns’ facility closed and a statewide stay-at-home order went into place, making rehabbing more challenging. But while Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported in mid-June that Oubre would sit out the entire NBA restart, Phoenix general manager James Jones and Williams have never completely ruled out a possible return.
“It’s been a whirlwind of emotions,” Oubre said. “It’s been a whirlwind of, just, feelings. But overall, I‘m just trying to come out on top mentally, physically, so that I can be the best basketball player and the best human being that I can be.
“I’m gonna continue to just work my butt off and make sure that I have no ifs, ands or buts about, when I do come back to play, I’ll be 100 percent.”
Losing basketball meant Oubre spent a lot of free time “really searching for my soul, and finding it and nurturing it and protecting it.”
He has always been a fashion aficionado, with flashy pregame and postgame attire sometimes featuring skull logos, chains and jewelry and fuzzy Converse sneakers. He launched the “Valley Boyz” clothing line, a nod to his team and its supporters, at a packed pop-up shop last fall. The “Quarantine & Chill” collection, Oubre said, is “nothing merely (compared) to what you’re gonna see out of me as a fashion designer.”
“I’m gonna continue to just create art,” Oubre said, “with the pain that I’ve been blessed (with), and the lessons that I’ve been blessed to learn in this life.”
The odd nature of this long layoff into a rapid ramp-up means league experts are concerned about — or, at least, cognizant of — injury potential during the season’s resumption. Keeping Oubre’s long-term health in mind is important. Also worth noting: Oubre enters a contract year in 2020-21, after signing a two-year, $30 million deal to remain in Phoenix last summer.
Oubre praised the environment in Orlando, saying “it’s streamlined for professionals who are here and on this Earth to be professional athletes.” It’s unknown whether Oubre will see any game action while he’s there. But his multi-dimensional life includes basketball again, at least in some capacity.
“I don’t want to sell myself short,” Oubre said. “I don’t want to sell the people who are across my chest and on my back of my jersey short. So, therefore, I have to continue to just push myself limitlessly each and every day to come back stronger than I was before, or else I would be doing myself a disservice.
“I understand a lot of people want to see me play. But at the end of the day, you’d rather see Kelly Oubre come out on top of his game, than Kelly Oubre being mediocre. That’s just where I’m at.”
Assuming he doesn't play (isn't ready or chooses not to), and next season is pretty short, it will make that FA period really interesting. Especially if he has another good season. How much do you commit to a guy that only gave you 100-120 games over 2 years?