Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Oden, a 7'0" (2.13m)

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...

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 The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball In Unite ...

. On June 28, 2007, Greg Oden was selected first overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. He underwent

microfracture surgery Fracture mechanics is the field of mechanics concerned with the study of the propagation of cracks in materials. It uses methods of analytical solid mechanics to calculate the driving force on a crack and those of experimental solid mechanics t ...

of the knee in September 2007, and missed the entire 2007–08 NBA season as a result. He recovered and made his NBA debut on opening night 2008. In March 2012, he was waived from the Trail Blazers after a long history of injuries. He signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

in August 2013, more than three years after last appearing in an NBA game, and played with the team through the 2014 NBA playoffs. After playing in the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

during its 2015–16 season, Oden stated in October 2016 that he was done with basketball and would not be returning as a player. In July 2018, he played in The Basketball Tournament 2018. In May 2019, Oden was selected as the 7th overall pick in the 2019

Big3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...

Draft.

Early years

Oden was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, and moved with his family to

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

at the age of nine. He attended Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute, where he first played interscholastic basketball. Oden then relocated with his mother and brother and attended Lawrence North High School in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

which he led to three consecutive Indiana Class 4A basketball championships before graduating in 2006. He was named '' Parade'''s

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with Monta Ellis) and 2005 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He repeated as Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2006. Oden was named the 2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball. He was also on the

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...

Team and played in the All-American game, and earned first-team '' Parade'' All-American honors for the second straight year.

College career

On June 29, 2005, Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley, Jr. announced that they would be attending

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 Ohio State bench during the beginning of the 2006–07 season, during which the Buckeyes were ranked as high as #1 before losing to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. 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,

Steve Kerr Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA champion, havi ...

described him as a "once-in-a-decade player". The Big Ten honored Oden as ''Player of the Week'', along with

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Alando Tucker Alando Forest Tucker (born February 11, 1984) is an American former collegiate basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketba ...

, 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 The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

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 The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as th ...

. Oden, alongside

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball f ...

Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a junior, he was named a consensus All-America ...

and Acie Law were named to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

All-American Team. Oden and Durant were the first freshmen voted to the All-American First Team since 1990, and the third and fourth overall. Throughout his high school and college career, Oden never lost a home game.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2007–2012)

On April 20, 2007, Oden announced that he would be entering the 2007 NBA draft. On June 28, 2007, he was selected by the

with the #1 overall pick. To begin his Trail Blazers career, Oden chose the uniform number 52. On July 1, before his first NBA practice, Oden was signed to a

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

which provided for two guaranteed seasons and team options for third and fourth seasons. On September 14, 2007, Oden had

on his ailing right knee. He missed the entire season. Oden's progress was recorded on the Trail Blazers' website and his

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in Reverse ...

. Although drafted in 2007, Oden was classified as a rookie for the 2008–09 season because of the knee injury. Entering the 2008–09 season, he was listed at , but according to Blazers' trainer Jay Jensen he weighed about in July. Oden left his NBA debut with a foot injury after playing thirteen scoreless minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers. He returned on November 12, 2008, after missing two weeks, and scored his first NBA points in the first quarter against the Miami Heat. On January 19, 2009, Oden had a career-high 24 points while also grabbing 15 rebounds in a 102–85 win against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

. On February 13, 2009, he injured his left knee in a game against the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, by bumping knees with opponent

Corey Maggette Corey Antoine Maggette (; born November 12, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became an analyst for Fox Sports. High school and college career Magget ...

, and missed three weeks due to a chipped knee cap. Greg Oden Wizards

On November 23, 2009, Oden matched his career-high for points in a game again with 24. He set a new career-high for rebounds in a game with 20 on December 1. On December 5, 2009, Oden injured his left knee in the first quarter of a game. He was taken off the court on two connected stretchers. Later, he underwent surgery for a fractured left

patella The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as ...

and missed the rest of the season. That injury marked the second time Oden had missed major playing time due to injury. On November 17, 2010, the team announced that Oden would have microfracture surgery on his left knee, ending his 2010–11 season. The injury marked Oden's third NBA season cut short due to a knee injury. On December 9, 2011, the Trail Blazers announced that Oden had suffered an unspecified "setback" that left them less optimistic about his ability to play in the 2011–2012 season. Rather than signing an 8.9-million-dollar

qualifying offer A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

, Oden and the team negotiated a different offer. On February 3, 2012, Oden underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. On February 20, 2012, Oden was scheduled for a procedure on his left knee similar to the procedure he underwent 17 days earlier. However, during the operation, further damage to the

articular cartilage Hyaline cartilage is the glass-like (hyaline) and translucent cartilage found on many joint surfaces. It is also most commonly found in the ribs, nose, larynx, and trachea. Hyaline cartilage is pearl-gray in color, with a firm consistency and has ...

was discovered, and Oden underwent his third micro-fracture surgery. On March 15, 2012, Oden was waived by the Trail Blazers to create room on the roster for trade acquisitions. In May 2012, Oden announced his intention to sit out the 2012–13 season to focus on rehabbing his injuries. In January 2013, it was reported that several teams were interested in signing Oden for the 2013–14 season.

Miami Heat (2013–2014)

On August 7, 2013, Oden signed a one-year deal with the

. He played in his first NBA game since December 5, 2009, in a preseason game against the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

on October 23, 2013. He managed to score two points through a dunk attempt and grabbed two rebounds in four minutes of play. On January 15, 2014, Oden made his long-awaited return to the court. In his first regular-season game since December 2009, he recorded 6 points and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes of game time in a 114–97 loss to the Washington Wizards. On February 23, 2014, Oden made his first start since December 2009 in the Heat's 93–79 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Heat made the 2014 NBA Finals where they faced the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. They went on to lose the series in five games.

Jiangsu Dragons (2015–2016)

In March 2015, Oden was reported to be working out with the Memphis Grizzlies, while he also returned to his alma mater, Ohio State, to undergo some "high-level training" with Thad Matta, then Ohio State basketball team coach. Matta stated that since September 2014, Oden had been working out with the other Ohio State coaches. In June 2015, Oden had workouts with the Charlotte Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks. He told the media that he was attempting an NBA comeback with plans to return to the league for the 2016–17 season. On August 26, 2015, Oden signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the

Jiangsu Dragons Jiangsu Dragons Kentier (), also known as Jiangsu Dragons or Jiangsu Kentier, are a Chinese professional basketball team in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu. History In the 2004–05 seas ...

of the

. On December 9, he recorded a season-high 22 points and 14 rebounds in a win over

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

. On February 1, 2016, he parted ways with Jiangsu. In 25 games for the club, he averaged 13.0 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. In July 2018, Oden agreed to play as a reserve with the Scarlet & Gray, a team of Ohio State alumni who competed in The Basketball Tournament 2018, a $2 million winner-take-all summer tournament. Oden made his debut for Scarlet & Gray on July 27, scoring 11 points in 16 minutes of playing time. Scarlet & Gray fell to Team Fredette on July 29, with Oden playing nine minutes while recording two points, an assist, and a block.

Post-playing career

On April 12, 2016, Oden was hired by the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team to be the student manager for the team while he went back to finish his degree at the college. Oden and his wife have one child. In 2019, Oden graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor's degree in sport industry. On November 21, 2019, Edyoucore Sports & Entertainment announced that Oden had joined their team as an athlete advisor. In April 2022, Oden joined Thad Matta's staff at Butler University as director of basketball operations.

Off-court issues

On August 11, 2014, Oden was charged with

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

for punching his ex-girlfriend in the face on August 7 in Lawrence, Indiana. He pleaded guilty in 2015 to battery with moderate bodily injury, and the other three charges were dropped. He was put on probation and ordered to pay a fine and attend counseling.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 61 , , 39 , , 21.5 , , .564 , , , , .637 , , 7.0 , , .5 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 21 , , 21 , , 23.9 , , .605 , , , , .766 , , 8.5 , , .9 , , .4 , , 2.3 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 23 , , 6 , , 9.2 , , .551 , , , , .565 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .6 , , 2.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 105 , , 66 , , 19.3 , , .574 , , , , .658 , , 6.2 , , .5 , , .4 , , 1.2 , , 8.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 6 , , 0 , , 16.0 , , .524 , , , , .667 , , 4.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .8 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .000 , , , , , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 9 , , 0 , , 11.4 , , .524 , , , , .667 , , 3.0 , , .1 , , .3 , , .6 , , 3.3

CBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with it ...

, 25 , , 2 , , 26.8 , , .538 , , , , .526 , , 12.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , 2.0 , , 13.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 25 , , 2 , , 26.8 , , .538 , , , , .526 , , 12.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , 2.0 , , 13.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

, 32 , , 31 , , 28.9 , , .616 , , , , .628 , , 9.6 , , .7 , , .6 , , 3.3 , , 15.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 32 , , 31 , , 28.9 , , .616 , , , , .628 , , 9.6 , , .7 , , .6 , , 3.3 , , 15.7

References

External links

Ohio State bio

ESPN.com profile

Greg Oden interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oden, Greg 1988 births Living people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indianapolis Big3 players Centers (basketball) Jiangsu Dragons players McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Heat players Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Sportspeople from Terre Haute, Indiana