Greg Oden
Encyclopedia
Gregory Wayne Oden, Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American basketball
player at the center
position. Oden is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers
of the NBA
.
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 28, 2007, Oden was selected first overall
in the 2007 NBA Draft
by the Trail Blazers. He underwent microfracture surgery
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.
Oden is currently the "Team Oden" spokesperson for Oregon Mentors, promoting mentoring for kids.
, and moved with his family to Terre Haute, Indiana
at the age of nine. He attended Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute, where he first played interscholastic basketball. He then relocated with his mother and brother and attended Lawrence North High School
in Indianapolis, Indiana
which he led to three consecutive Indiana Class 4A basketball championships before graduating in 2006. He 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. 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 Team and played in the All-American game.
announced that they would be attending Ohio State University
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, 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 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.
. On June 28, 2007, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
with the #1 overall pick. Two of his Ohio State teammates were also chosen in the first round: Mike Conley, Jr.
at #4, and Daequan Cook
at #21.
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
which provided for two guaranteed seasons and team options for third and fourth seasons.
On September 14, 2007, Oden had microfracture surgery
on his ailing right knee. He missed the entire season. Oden's progress was recorded on the Trail Blazers' website and his blog
.
Although picked first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft
, 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 250 lbs, but according to Blazers' trainer Jay Jensen he weighed about 290 lbs in July. Oden left his NBA debut with a foot injury after playing thirteen scoreless minutes against the 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 went for a career-high 24 points while also grabbing 15 rebounds in a 102–85 win against the Milwaukee Bucks
. On February 13, 2009, he injured his left knee in a game against the Golden State Warriors
, by bumping knees with opponent Corey Maggette
, and missed three weeks due to a chipped knee cap.
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 a stretcher. Later, he underwent surgery for a fractured left patella and missed the rest of the season. This 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 2010–2011 season. This injury marks Oden's third NBA season cut short due to a knee injury.
.
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Portland
| 61 || 39 || 21.5 || .564 || .000 || .637 || 7.0 || .5 || .4 || 1.1 || 8.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Portland
| 21 || 21 || 23.9 || .605 || .000 || .766 || 8.5 || .9 || .4 || 2.3 || 11.1
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 82 || 60 || 22.1 || .577 || .000 || .666 || 7.3 || .6 || .4 || 1.4 || 9.4
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Portland
| 6 || 0 || 16.0 || .524 || .000 || .667 || 4.3 || .0 || .3 || 1.0 || 5.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 6 || 0 || 16.0 || .524 || .000 || .667 || 4.3 || .0 || .3 || 1.0 || 5.0
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player at the center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
position. Oden is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
Oden played basketball for Ohio State University
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
The Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances...
for one season, during which the team was the Big Ten Champion
2007 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
-External links:*...
and the tournament runner-up
2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 NCAA schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2006–07 basketball season...
in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship records
-Champions, runners-up and locations:* Vacated this due to NCAA violations.† denotes overtime games. Multiple †'s indicate number of overtimes.-Single game wins:-Final Four appearances:-Multiple championship coaches:-NCAA Championships:...
.
On June 28, 2007, Oden was selected first overall
NBA first overall draft pick
The National Basketball Association's first overall pick is the player who is selected first among all eligible draftees by a team during the annual National Basketball Association Draft. The first pick is awarded to the team that wins the NBA Draft Lottery; in most cases, that team had a losing...
in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
by the Trail Blazers. He underwent microfracture surgery
Microfracture surgery
Microfracture surgery is one of the articular cartilage repair surgical techniques that works by creating tiny fractures in the underlying bone. This causes new cartilage to develop from a so-called super-clot...
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.
Oden is currently the "Team Oden" spokesperson for Oregon Mentors, promoting mentoring for kids.
Early years
Oden was born in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and moved with his family to Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
at the age of nine. He attended Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute, where he first played interscholastic basketball. He then relocated with his mother and brother and attended Lawrence North High School
Lawrence North High School
Lawrence North High School is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is located at 7802 North Hague Road on the northeast side of the city. It is one of two high schools serving grades nine through twelve in the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township. The 2006–07 enrollment...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
which he led to three consecutive Indiana Class 4A basketball championships before graduating in 2006. He was named Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
's High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis is an American professional basketball player who plays the shooting guard and point guard positions for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. Ellis entered the 2005 NBA Draft after graduating from Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Warriors drafted him in the second...
) and 2005 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
, becoming the first junior since LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
to be named such. 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 Team and played in the All-American game.
College
On June 29, 2005, Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley, Jr.Mike Conley, Jr.
Michael Alex "Mike" Conley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association.Conley is the son of Olympic gold and silver medalist triple jumper Mike Conley, Sr...
announced that they would be attending Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
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
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
. 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
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
described him as a "once-in-a-decade player".
The Big Ten honored Oden with Player of the Week, along with Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
's Alando Tucker
Alando Tucker
Alando Forest Tucker is an American professional basketball player. Tucker played five seasons at The University of Wisconsin–Madison and wore the number 42...
, 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
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, 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
Florida Gators men's basketball
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Southeastern Conference...
.
On March 26, 2007, Oden, along with Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association . A 6'9" small forward/shooting guard who is also capable of playing power forward, Durant was the consensus 2007 National College Player of the Year and the...
, Arron Afflalo
Arron Afflalo
Arron Agustin Afflalo is an American professional basketball player, currently with the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. He completed a three-year career at University of California, Los Angeles in the Pacific-10 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as the starting shooting...
, Alando Tucker
Alando Tucker
Alando Forest Tucker is an American professional basketball player. Tucker played five seasons at The University of Wisconsin–Madison and wore the number 42...
, and Acie Law IV
Acie Law IV
Acie Law IV is an American professional basketball player who plays for KK Partizan in Serbia. In his four seasons at Texas A&M University, Law scored 1,653 points and was credited with 540 assists...
, was named to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-American
2007 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The Consensus 2007 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The Sporting News and the National...
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.
Portland Trail Blazers
On April 20, 2007, Oden announced that he would be entering the 2007 NBA Draft2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
. On June 28, 2007, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
with the #1 overall pick. Two of his Ohio State teammates were also chosen in the first round: Mike Conley, Jr.
Mike Conley, Jr.
Michael Alex "Mike" Conley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association.Conley is the son of Olympic gold and silver medalist triple jumper Mike Conley, Sr...
at #4, and Daequan Cook
Daequan Cook
Daequan Cook is an American basketball player and currently a shooting guard for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder....
at #21.
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
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
which provided for two guaranteed seasons and team options for third and fourth seasons.
Microfracture surgery
Microfracture surgery is one of the articular cartilage repair surgical techniques that works by creating tiny fractures in the underlying bone. This causes new cartilage to develop from a so-called super-clot...
on his ailing right knee. He missed the entire season. Oden's progress was recorded on the Trail Blazers' website and his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
.
Although picked first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, 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 250 lbs, but according to Blazers' trainer Jay Jensen he weighed about 290 lbs in July. Oden left his NBA debut with a foot injury after playing thirteen scoreless minutes against the 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 went for a career-high 24 points while also grabbing 15 rebounds in a 102–85 win against the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
. On February 13, 2009, he injured his left knee in a game against the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, by bumping knees with opponent Corey Maggette
Corey Maggette
Corey Antoine Maggette is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, for the Charlotte Bobcats. He excelled at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball and also an Illinois high school state track finalist in long...
, and missed three weeks due to a chipped knee cap.
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 a stretcher. Later, he underwent surgery for a fractured left patella and missed the rest of the season. This 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 2010–2011 season. This injury marks Oden's third NBA season cut short due to a knee injury.
Personal life
Greg Oden's younger brother Anthony played as an offensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks until he was dismissed from the program in 2011. Anthony Oden then transferred to Lamar UniversityLamar University
Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 61 || 39 || 21.5 || .564 || .000 || .637 || 7.0 || .5 || .4 || 1.1 || 8.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 21 || 21 || 23.9 || .605 || .000 || .766 || 8.5 || .9 || .4 || 2.3 || 11.1
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 82 || 60 || 22.1 || .577 || .000 || .666 || 7.3 || .6 || .4 || 1.4 || 9.4
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2008–09
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 6 || 0 || 16.0 || .524 || .000 || .667 || 4.3 || .0 || .3 || 1.0 || 5.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 6 || 0 || 16.0 || .524 || .000 || .667 || 4.3 || .0 || .3 || 1.0 || 5.0