It’s hard to overstate how high the hopes basketball community had for Greg Oden as a prospect. A perfect balance on offense and defense, the Portland Trail Blazers star was a perfect blend of grace and power during his pre-NBA career. So much so that he became the lead image for 2K Sports’ “College Hoops 2K8.” With his proficient high school and college basketball career, his selection as first pick in the 2007 NBA draft came as no surprise. ESPN’s Jay Bilas had said of the ex-Ohio State Buckeyes star, “Kevin Durant is going to be an All-Star, but getting a dominant center is difficult to do in the NBA. Greg Oden is going to be that…”

The fact Kevin Durant got picked at number 2 reflects how promising Oden was as a prodigy. So what happened?

Greg Oden’s stats and career before the NBA

Though he shared the spotlight with Durant during his high school basketball days, Oden was just a bit more impressive. Playing for Lawrence North Wildcats, he claimed three state titles in four years. During the process, Oden also earned 3x Parade All-American honors, 2x Gatorade State Player of the Year, and Naismith Prep Player of the Year.

Apart from this, after leading Lawrence North to a 103-7 record and three consecutive Class 4A state championships, the Wildcats star earned the title of Mr. Basketball in 2006. These accolades are enough of a reflection of his basketball proficiency at an early age. But his 1,873 points, 1,058 rebounds, and 341 blocked shots further act as a testament to it.

As for his college basketball career, Greg Oden chose Ohio State Buckeyes to be his destination. Playing just one season (2006-07) for the team, he averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game. And not only did he help the Buckeyes claim the 2007 Big Ten tournament, but also led the team to the NCAA tournament’s championship game.

Although he failed to win the NCAA championship for his team, he accumulated multiple other accolades to his name. These include NABC Defensive Player of the Year, Pete Newell Big Man Award, and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. After playing a single season of college basketball, G.O. declared himself for the NBA draft. And as stated above, he got selected as the number 1 pick by the Blazers. The 7 ft player came shouldering the expectations of becoming the next generational superstar, but destiny had other plans for him.

Injuries ruined a promising career

The former Buckeyes star went through a season-ending microfracture surgery on his knee in September 2007. As a result, he had to miss his entire first season itself, only returning in the 2008-09 season. Oden missed multiple games in his comeback season as well, also failing to replicate the pre-NBA-like success.

In his 61 games in the 2009 season, the former Mr. Basketball managed to average 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds. But his knee issue did not seem to let go of him, as he sustained another knee injury in 2009. And another season-ending surgery for a fractured patella left him with just 23 games in the season. Greg underwent another microfracture operation on his left knee in 2010, subsequently missing 3 seasons in a row.

Waived by the Blazers because of his injury-plagued run with the franchise, Oden made another comeback with a one-year deal with the Miami Heat. However, he played just 23 games with the team, averaging 2.9 points per game. Thus, in 2014, came an end to one of the biggest NBA prodigies.

The 7 ft player played one season with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Jiangsu Dragons as well. He averaged 13.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game before eventually hanging up his basketball shoes. But his love for the game still kept him in the loop with a student manager job at the Ohio State University. After his graduation in 2019, Greg Oden’s most recent stint has been his work at Butler University as the director of basketball operations since April 2022.

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