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 (appro ...

player. Oden, a 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center, played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

for one season, during which the team was the Big Ten Conference regular season champion and Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament champion with Oden as the tournament MOP. Additionally, Oden and the Buckeyes were the tournament runner-up in the

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level ...

. 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 Northwest Division (N ...

. He underwent microfracture surgery of the knee in September 2007, and missed the entire

2007–08 NBA season The 2007–08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131–92 to win the 2008 NBA Finals, four games to two. The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2007, a ...

as a result. He recovered and made his

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

debut on opening night 2008. In March 2012, he was waived by the Trail Blazers after missing the previous two seasons due to 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

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 men's professional 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 3x3 basketball, 3-on-3 basketball league founded by the hip-hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former National Basketb ...

Draft.

Early years

Oden was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, and moved with his family to

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

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, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with

Monta Ellis Monta Jerome Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School (Jackson, Mississippi), Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American Game, ...

) 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, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

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

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

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. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. 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 for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the United States men's national ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

'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 The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

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 College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

. 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 Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

, Arron Afflalo, Alando Tucker and Acie Law were named to the

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All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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 an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

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 A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

. 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, 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. 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 (: patellae or patellas), 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 m ...

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 some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...

, 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

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. Oden played in three playoff games in that year. The Heat made the

2014 NBA Finals The 2014 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2013–14 NBA season, 2013–14 season and the conclusion of 2014 NBA Playoffs, the season's playoffs, played from June 5 to 15, 2014. It ...

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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

; Oden played a minute each in Game 3 and Game 4, recording only a personal foul in the latter. 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 of the

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

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. 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. 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 Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...

as director of basketball operations.

Personal life

On August 11, 2014, Oden was charged with battery for punching his ex-girlfriend in the face on August 7 in

Lawrence, Indiana Lawrence is a city in Lawrence Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is one of four " excluded cities" in Marion County. The city is home to Fort Benjamin Harrison within Fort Harrison State Park. The population was 49,370 at ...

. He pleaded guilty in 2015 to battery with moderate bodily injury, and the other three charges were dropped. He was put on

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

and ordered to pay a fine and attend counseling. Oden married his wife Sabrina in 2017. They have one child, a daughter named Londyn, born in 2016.

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 is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 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 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

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

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, 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 is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, 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 (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

, 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 sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 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 Basketball players from Terre Haute, Indiana First overall NBA draft picks