Greg Oden facts for kids
Oden with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2008
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 22, 1988 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| High school | Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Indiana) |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 273 lb (124 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Ohio State (2006–2007) |
| NBA Draft | 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Pro career | 2007–2016 |
| Career history | |
| 2007–2012 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2013–2014 | Miami Heat |
| 2015–2016 | Jiangsu Dragons |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 840 (8.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 656 (6.2 rpg) |
| Blocks | 130 (1.2 bpg) |
Gregory "Greg" Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. Standing 7 feet tall, Oden played as a center. He was a star player for the Ohio State Buckeyes college team for one season. During that time, his team won the Big Ten Conference regular season and tournament championships. Oden was even named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Buckeyes also made it to the championship game of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
On June 28, 2007, Greg Oden was chosen as the very first player in the 2007 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Sadly, he had knee surgery in September 2007 and missed his entire first season. He returned to play in the NBA in 2008. In March 2012, the Trail Blazers let him go because of his many injuries. He later signed with the Miami Heat in August 2013 and played with them through the 2014 NBA playoffs.
After playing in China during the 2015–16 season, Oden announced in October 2016 that he was finished playing basketball professionally. He later played in a special tournament called The Basketball Tournament 2018 in July 2018. In May 2019, Oden was picked in the 2019 Big3 Draft, which is a league for 3-on-3 basketball.
Contents
Early Life and High School Success
Oden was born in Buffalo, New York. When he was nine, his family moved to Terre Haute, Indiana. He started playing basketball in middle school there. Later, he moved with his mom and brother to Indianapolis, Indiana. He went to Lawrence North High School.
Oden led his high school team to win three straight Indiana Class 4A basketball championships. He graduated in 2006. He was named the Parade High School Co-Player of the Year in 2005. He also won the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award in both 2005 and 2006. In 2006, Oden was named Indiana Mr. Basketball. He was also part of the McDonald's All-American Team and played in their All-American game.
College Basketball Career
On June 29, 2005, Oden and his high school teammate, Mike Conley Jr., announced they would both go to Ohio State University. They started playing for the Buckeyes in the 2006–07 season.
Before his college career began, Oden had surgery on his right wrist in June 2006. This injury happened late in his senior year of high school. Because of the surgery, he couldn't play at the very start of the 2006–07 season. He made his college debut on December 2, 2006, playing against Valparaiso. In that game, he scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots.
Oden quickly became a star. The Big Ten Conference named him "Player of the Week" in January 2007. On March 6, 2007, Oden was named to the First Team All-Big Ten. He was also voted the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
In the NCAA Tournament, Oden helped Ohio State reach the 2007 National Championship game. In the final game, he scored 25 points, had 12 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots. However, his team lost to the Florida Gators. Oden and Kevin Durant were the first freshmen since 1990 to be named to the Associated Press All-American First Team. Greg Oden never lost a home game during his high school and college careers.
Professional Basketball Career
Portland Trail Blazers (2007–2012)
On April 20, 2007, Oden announced he would enter the 2007 NBA draft. The Portland Trail Blazers chose him as the #1 overall pick on June 28, 2007. He chose to wear uniform number 52. On September 14, 2007, Oden had surgery on his right knee. This meant he missed his entire first NBA season.
Even though he was drafted in 2007, Oden was considered a rookie for the 2008–09 season because of his injury. He made his NBA debut on opening night in 2008 but left the game early with a foot injury. He returned on November 12, 2008, and scored his first NBA points. On January 19, 2009, Oden scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks.
On December 5, 2009, Oden injured his left knee during a game. He had surgery for a fractured kneecap and missed the rest of that season. This was another major injury that kept him off the court. On November 17, 2010, the team announced Oden would have another surgery on his left knee, ending his 2010–11 season. This was his third NBA season cut short by a knee injury.
On February 3, 2012, Oden had surgery on his right knee. Later that month, he had another procedure on his left knee. During this operation, more damage was found, and Oden had his third major knee surgery. On March 15, 2012, the Trail Blazers released Oden from their team. In May 2012, Oden decided to sit out the 2012–13 season to focus on getting healthy.
Miami Heat (2013–2014)
On August 7, 2013, Oden signed a one-year contract with the Miami Heat. He played in his first NBA game since December 2009 in a preseason game on October 23, 2013. He scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in four minutes.
On January 15, 2014, Oden made his return to a regular-season game. He scored 6 points and had 2 rebounds in 8 minutes. On February 23, 2014, Oden started his first game since December 2009. He played in three playoff games that year. The Heat reached the 2014 NBA Finals but lost the series in five games.
Playing in China (2015–2016)
In March 2015, Oden was working out with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also returned to Ohio State to train with his former college coach. In June 2015, Oden worked out with the Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks. He told the media he wanted to make a comeback to the NBA.
On August 26, 2015, Oden signed a one-year contract with the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association. On December 9, he had his best game of the season, scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He left the team on February 1, 2016. In 25 games, he averaged 13.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
In July 2018, Oden played in The Basketball Tournament 2018 with a team of Ohio State alumni. He scored 11 points in his debut.
Life After Playing Basketball
On April 12, 2016, Oden was hired by the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team as a student manager. He went back to college to finish his degree. In 2019, Oden graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor's degree in sport industry.
In November 2019, Oden joined Edyoucore Sports & Entertainment as an athlete advisor. In April 2022, Oden became the director of basketball operations for Butler University's basketball team.
Career Statistics
NBA Regular Season Stats
Greg Oden played 105 NBA regular season games. He averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. His best season was 2009–10, where he averaged 10.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in 21 games.
NBA Playoff Stats
In the NBA playoffs, Oden played 9 games. He averaged 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
CBA (China) Stats
In his 25 games in the Chinese Basketball Association, Oden averaged 13.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
College Stats
In his one season at Ohio State, Oden played 32 games. He averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game. He shot 61.6% from the field.
See also
In Spanish: Greg Oden para niños
- 2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans
