Former Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, who was expected to form a formidable tandem opposite already drafted power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, had a tragically short NBA career. He played just 82 games for the Trail Blazers over five seasons with the club, including three seasons he missed entirely in 2007-08, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
In a new interview with his future Miami Heat colleagues Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on their must-listen podcast “The OGs,” Oden opened up about the struggles of his first major injury after being selected first overall in the 2007 NBA draft. In September, before the start of what would have been his rookie season in 2007-08, the 6’3” big man underwent his first microfracture surgery to treat a right knee injury — but it wouldn’t be his last.
“We’re heading to Portland, we have a nice little parade, I meet everyone. [The] The Trail Blazer staff and everyone in management is incredible. I’m not going to lie to you,” Oden said. “I’ve been working out, I’ve been going to Summer League… I haven’t really done what I was supposed to do. But I remember working out and I bought myself a new pair of shoes. One day I’m working out, the next day [my knee] “I was just huge… I literally couldn’t put my pants on. I went in and they were like, ‘You’re missing cartilage in there.’ I was like, ‘Go clean that up and then we’ll talk about it’… They just did the microfracture. I mean, we talked about it, but in my head I was like, ‘Let’s just clean that up and then we’ll really talk about it.'”
He then had his best season as a rookie in 2008–09, appearing in 61 games (39 as a start) and averaging 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds, along with 1.1 blocks. Oden chipped his kneecap in February of that season and was sidelined for three weeks.
In hindsight, it’s fair to say that the Trail Blazers were wrong to select the doomed Oden with the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft out of Ohio State, ahead of several future All-Stars. Oden showed great promise as a game-changing defender in college, so his career potential was real. But that ultimately wasn’t the case.
Obviously, future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant (the second pick) is the player that Portland fans should be excited about. He was drafted by the league’s other Pacific Northwest team (at the time), the Seattle Supersonics, and won a league MVP award with the Oklahoma City Thunder and two championships as Finals MVP with the Golden State Warriors. Durant is a 14-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA Team selection, and even now, despite his relatively advanced NBA age, he remains one of the league’s leading scorers for the Phoenix Suns. The 35-year-old has already earned $396.8 million in on-court earnings alone, and will have another $105.9 million left over the next two seasons.
Oden was also selected over two potential Hall of Famers, centers Al Horford (3rd pick) and Marc Gasol (48th pick). Horford is now a five-time All-Star, a one-time All-NBA selection and a sixth man on a championship team. Gasol is a three-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection and a one-time All-Defensive Second Teamer… but was also named Defensive Player of the Year that season, despite not even making the first team. He won two silver medals for deep-pocketed Spanish teams at the Olympics and won his only championship as a starter for the Toronto Raptors in 2019 (against Durant’s Warriors).
Mike Conley, Oden’s former teammate at Ohio State, the No. 4 overall pick, was an All-Star and All-Defensive Teamer. Conley, 36, is entering his 18th NBA season as a starter and locker room leader for a top contender for the presidency, the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has already earned $274,127,986 in his career and just signed a two-year, $20.8 million contract extension that will pay him through the 2025-26 season.
Horford’s former Florida teammate Joakim Noah was selected with the No. 9 overall pick. Over his 13-year career, the 2.08 m big man was a two-time All-Star, three-time All-Defensive Teamer, one-time All-NBA First Teamer, the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year and a one-time MVP finalist.
More Trail Blazers: Blockbuster trade proposal sends Jerami Grant from Blazers to Lakers