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Nobody was surprised when the Portland Trail Blazers took Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant with the first overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft. After all, he was once touted as one of the greatest prospects ever since LeBron James and was hailed as a future number one pick ever since he was a freshman in high school.
But once he made the leap from college to the pros, the basketball gods had other plans for Oden.
Why the Blazers took Greg Oden over Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft
At the time, the hype around Oden was warranted. During his lone season at Ohio State, he led the Buckeyes to the national title game and was named to the All-American First Team, becoming one of two freshmen to earn the honor for the first time since 1990.
While his offense still had a lot of areas for improvement, Oden impressed scouts with his defense and ability to control the paint. In an era that required teams to have a dominant center to be successful, Oden was a no-brainer for Portland, especially since they also had Brandon Roy on their team.
Greg Oden's injury-riddled past followed him to the NBA
Oden's NBA career was marred by injuries from the start. He'd miss his entire rookie season due to a microfracture surgery on his right knee. When he finally made his debut a season later, Oden showed glimpses of his potential. However, you could tell he wasn't in peak physical condition. One of the Blazers coaches even claimed Oden was 40 pounds heavier than when he got drafted.
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Despite his lack of conditioning, Oden managed to play 61 games, posting averages of 8.9 points and seven rebounds per game. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the only season in which Oden managed to play more than 25 games.
Over the next few years, Oden underwent multiple surgeries on his knees, including three procedures on his left knee. The persistent injuries and rehab forced him to miss three straight seasons. By 2012, the Blazers finally moved on and waived him to create a roster spot. In his six years under contract for the Blazers, Oden only played 82 games.
In a last-ditch attempt to save his NBA career, Oden signed with the defending champion Miami Heat for the 2013-2014 season. His tenure lasted just 23 games, though, as Oden struggled to regain the form that once made him a top draft pick.
Greg Oden's life after basketball
Oden officially retired from professional basketball in 2016. His last taste of professional basketball was with the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball League (CBA). Despite all the trouble basketball gave Oden over the years, he chose to stay close to the sport once his playing days were over. He spent time as the Buckeyes student manager from 2016 to 2019. Today, Oden serves as the director of basketball operations for Butler University, a position he's held since 2022.
While Oden's career flopped, his journey highlights a different perspective on the life of a professional athlete. While you'll earn millions, consistently making an NBA roster year in and year out isn't as easy as it looks.
