Apr 3, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers former center Greg Oden smiles while watching the Trail Blazers play against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images

Ex-Trail Blazers Star Greg Oden Speaks Honestly About NBA Career

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Ben Stinar | Last updated Nov 24, 2024 6:15 PM ET

Greg Oden was one of the best NBA Draft prospects of all time.

He had been coming off an incredible freshman year at Ohio State where he led them to the Final Four.

Oden was selected with the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft (one spot ahead of Kevin Durant).

2007 NBA Draft came down to two players for No. 1: Greg Oden and Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/hVbSd2udYU
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2016

When Oden was on the court in the NBA, he was a very good player who showed All-Star potential.

However, he dealt with a lot of injuries that derailed his career.

Recently, Oden spoke about his time in the NBA when he was on Gil's Arena.

Oden: "They like to throw out a bunch of words, but I do know for a fact that when I played, I was dominant. It was a time where I wish I could have stayed healthy and my athleticism, being able to run, being able to be strong, being able to guard the likes of SHAQ and Yao was a plus for me. I felt like I was almost there, but I just couldn't stay healthy. I still remember when my kneecap broke in half."

Oden was only able to play part of three seasons for the Trail Blazers (and Miami Heat).

During his second season, he played in a career-high 61 games.

Greg Oden and Kevin Durant went No. 1 and No. 2 in the NBA draft 13 years ago today.

Both went on to do great things pic.twitter.com/ztwd4Op1WH
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 28, 2020