Indiana Pacers all-star Victor Oladipo endorsed Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly on Friday night at a campaign rally with former Vice President Joe Biden in Hammond.

Donnelly's camp had already announced that Biden would be rallying in Indiana with Donnelly, but Oladipo's appearance was a surprise to the crowd.

Oladipo opened the rally by emphasizing his love for Hoosiers. He came to prominence as a basketball player at Indiana University and now plays for the Pacers.

“I call everybody from the state of Indiana my adopted family, because at the end of the day, this state believed in me when no one else did," Oladipo said.

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His brief speech was focused on his love for Indiana, rather than politics. But he closed by saying: “Vote Donnelly.”

Afterward, he posted pictures on social media with Biden and Donnelly.

"I had the opportunity to spend some time with two great men tonight," he said on Instagram. "@joebiden and @sendonnelly were nothing short of amazing and have inspired me to continue to change the world in a positive way and I encourage everyone in our world to do the same. #Joe&Joe"

Will Baskin-Gerwitz, spokesman for Donnelly's campaign, said Oladipo had reached out a couple of months ago asking how he could help with the campaign. Once he heard Biden would be in Indiana, he asked to be involved with Friday night's Donnelly event.

Baskin-Gerwitz also said Oladipo will likely appear at future campaign events on Donnelly's behalf.

Oladipo may have first met Biden as an uncommitted high school recruit when he attended a Father’s Day event in 2009 hosted by then-President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, Oladipo criticized President Donald Trump for questioning Lebron James' intellect on Twitter. At the same time, Oladipo indicated he wanted to become more like James by being more active in his community off the court.

"I saw something on Instagram that said that LeBron is saving kids' lives and you-know-who is locking kids up," Oladipo said in August. "That puts it into perspective right there. That's all you need to say."

During Biden's Friday night speech, he praised Donnelly but spent much of his time chastising the Trump administration. Biden has not ruled out a 2020 presidential run.

Biden joked that he told Donnelly he would campaign for or against Indiana's senior senator, "whatever would help him the most."

He praised Donnelly's ability to work with Republicans. Donnelly often touts that he's voted with Trump 62 percent of the time.

"Joe understands that it's not weakness to reach across the aisle and reach a compromise without giving up any of your principles," Biden said.

He didn't mention Donnelly's Republican opponent, Mike Braun.

The two are locked in a contentious race for Donnelly's Senate seat. Donnelly is among the most vulnerable Senators up for reelection, representing a state that went for President Donald Trump by 19 points in 2016.

Donnelly's Friday night rally drew 2,300 people, leaving some seats unfilled and some empty space on the basketball floor in the Democratic stronghold of Lake County. Democrats, however, said they never intended to fill all of the seats.

Still, Donnelly boasted about the turnout.

"This place is so crowded and so packed; we have people behind the stage as well," Donnelly said.

Donnelly spent his brief speech emphasizing his vote to save the Affordable Care Act and his support for Biden.

"How lucky are we to have such a friend as Vice President Joe Biden, who at every turn fought for us?" Donnelly said. "He knows who we are."

He also praised the late Sen. John McCain for his vote to spare the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Three hours south in Indianapolis Friday night Vice President Mike Pence was in town speaking at a GOP fundraising dinner along with Braun.

Visits to Indiana campaign events by both Pence and Biden on the same day show just how tight the Senate race is. Recent polls have given Donnelly a slight edge, though his lead was within the margin of error. That essentially means the race is a statistical dead heat.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.