My dinner next to Greg Oden

It was January 3rd. The Blazers were on the road, and my friends and I were trying to decide on a good spot to watch the Blazers game against the Bulls. We decided to eat downtown Portland, OR at Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW). We arrived at BWW and were eagerly awaiting the start of the game, when out of nowhere we see a large 7 foot figure walking toward us. That 7 foot figure was none other than Greg Oden. Greg walked to the side of our table and said, "What's good guys?", then sat down in the booth right next to us. At this point I'm trying to figure out why Greg didn't travel to Chicago to be with the team on the small road swing. Minutes later Greg had fans all around him. People were bringing up shoes, basketballs, hats, and shirts for Greg to sign. My friends and I just sat there and watched Greg try and shuffle through the menu, watch the game, and please the fans. After about 30 minutes of autographs Greg asked the workers from BWW to hold people off. We sat there next to Greg and watched him cheer on the Blazers through the overtime thriller with the Bulls. Shortly after the OT started a little boy came up to Greg. He had somehow slipped past the workers and wandered up to Odens table. This was not just another kid, this young man was mentally challenged. He came up to Greg with a paper napkin and said, "Please Mr. Oden?" Greg didn't hesitate, he grabbed the napkin, signed it, and shook the child's hand. At that moment I knew in my heart how lucky the Blazers franchise is to have Greg Oden. On that night he showed me he was mature beyond his years, he also showed me that even though he had made it to the NBA, part of him remembered what it was like to be a kid.