Greg Oden

Greg Oden

Oden at the free throw line during a BIG3 exhibition basketball game in August 2019.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Position:	Graduate assistant
League:	NBA/CBA
Personal information
Full name:	Gregory Wayne Oden Jr.
Born:	January 22, 1988 (1988-01-22) Buffalo, New York
Nationality:	American
Physical stats
Listed height:	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight:	273 lbs (124 kg)
National Basketball Association career
Debut: 2007 for the Portland Trail Blazers
Final season: 2014 for the Miami Heat
Career information
High school:	Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Indiana)
College:	Ohio State (2006–2007)
NBA Draft:	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career:	2007–2016 (9 years)
Coaching career:	2019–present (6 years)
Position:	Center
Number:	50, 52, 20
Career history
As player:
2007–2012	Portland Trail Blazers
2013–2014	Miami Heat
2015–2016	Jiangsu Dragons
As coach:
2019–2021	Ohio State (Athletic Advisor)
2021–present	Ohio State (Graduate assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Consensus second-team All-American (2007) NABC Defensive Player of the Year (2007) Pete Newell Big Man Award (2007) First-team All-Big Ten (2007) Mr. Basketball USA (2006) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2006) 2× Gatorade National Player of the Year (2005, 2006) McDonald's All-American (2006) 2× First-team Parade All-American (2005, 2006) Third-team Parade All-American (2004) Indiana Mr. Basketball (2006)
Career statistics
Points:	840 (8.0 PPG)
Rebounds:	656 (6.2 RPG)
Assists:	51 (0.5 APG)
Steals:	40 (0.4 SPG)
Blocks:	130 (1.2 BPG)
Stats at NBA.com Stats at Basketball–Reference.com

Gregory Wayne Oden (born January 22, 1988) is an American college basketball coach and former player who currently serves as a Assistant coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA. Oden attended Ohio State University, was drafted 1st Overall in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Oden played basketball for Ohio State University for one season, during which the team was the Big Ten Champion and the tournament runner-up in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

On June 27, 2007, Oden was selected first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He underwent microfracture knee surgery in September 2007, and missed the entire 2007–08 NBA season as a result. He recovered well and made his NBA debut on Opening Night 2008. He was immediately injured in the first quarter and missed 2 week's worth of playing time.

Oden's career continued to be plagued by injuries, causing him to be considered a bust, especially as he was drafted just one spot ahead of Kevin Durant.

Oden is currently the "Team Oden" spokesperson for Oregon Mentors, promoting mentoring for kids.

Early years

Oden was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved with his family to Terre Haute, Indiana at the age of nine. He was named the 2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball. He was also on the McDonald's All-American Team and played in the All-American game. Oden was named Parade's High School Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with Monta Ellis) and 2005 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first junior since LeBron James to be named such.

High School

While in high school, Oden was named the PARADE 's High School Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year two years in a row, in 2005 and 2006.

Oden attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He led Lawrence North to three consecutive Indiana Class 4A basketball championships 2005. Oden attended Newtown High School in Queens, New York. He led Newtown to three consecutive New York Class 4A basketball championships 2006. He graduated in 2006.

College

Freshman year

On June 29, 2005, Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley, Jr. announced that they would be attending Ohio State starting with the 2006-07 season.

Oden had surgery on his right wrist on June 16, 2006, in Indianapolis to repair a ligament injury that occurred late in his senior high school season. As a result, he sat on the bench during the beginning of the 2006-07 season with Ohio State, during which his team was ranked as high as first before losing to North Carolina. He made his college debut on December 2, 2006, against Valparaiso, coming off the bench. He finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. In December of that year, then Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr described him as a "once-in-a-decade player".

The Big Ten honored Oden with Player of the Week, along with Wisconsin's Alando Tucker, on January 29, 2007. In the previous week he had averaged 18 points and 11.5 rebounds. On March 6, 2007, Oden was named First Team All-Big Ten as well being voted the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Oden fouled out for the first time in his college career against Xavier in the second round of the NCAA Tournament,and was bothered by foul trouble throughout the tournament. In the Sweet Sixteen, Oden blocked a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds against Tennessee to preserve an 85-84 victory,and went on to lead Ohio State past Memphis and Georgetown to advance to the 2007 National Championship. In the title game, Oden scored 25 points,and had 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in a losing effort against the Florida Gators.

On March 26, 2007, Oden, along with Kevin Durant, Arron Afflalo, Alando Tucker, and Acie Law IV, was named to the Associated Press All-American Team. Oden and Durant were the first freshmen who were voted to the All-American First Team since 1990 and the third and fourth overall.

Image gallery

References

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