Blazers monster star stud Greg Oden surprised his teammates today by practicing with the club. The word is he practiced 45 minutes, and it seemed to come as a surprise for many, if not all within the Blazers organization.

Great news for us Blazer fans, and excellent news for the Big Monster himself! Good luck Greg!

According to Greg Oden, Barrack Obama gave him a phone call.

The conversation was quick - like two minutes but I got to talk to him like a real person. What I got from talking to him is that he is a real sports fan and he knew about the Blazers. He said that when I come back Brandon, LaMarcus and I will be a force next year. He also asked me about my knee, and he said he wasn’t feeling my mohawk.

Does your child need a mentor? Are you still looking for that right guy? If so, look no further, the Trailblazers rookie MONSTER, Greg Oden, is just the man for your son/daughter. During the offseason, Greg Oden has been hanging out with children. The Oregon mentors, a non profit organization has created “Team Oden”, that is directed to reach 40,000 youth.

“Every kid should have someone in their life that can support and encourage them,” Oden said in a statement. “Without strong mentors, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Nice job Greg! Keep it up!

Not us, but our friend at BoomShakalaka.com is having a nickname contest for our boy Greg Oden. Check it out over there, and post what you think would be a great nickname for our boy. We love the idea:

http://www.boomshakalaka.org/2008/03/11/the-official-greg-oden-nickname-contest/

The Portland Trailblazers star Center, and our favorite NBA basketball player- Greg Oden has teamed up with the Oregon Mentors, a non profit organization to unify youth mentoring programs throughout the state or Oregon. The organizing of “Team Oden” is planning to assist the Oregon Mentors to reach their goal of connecting to 40,000 youth with a caring adult mentor by the year 2010.
Greg has this to say about the program: “Every kid should have someone in their life that can support and encourage them,” Oden said. “Without strong mentors, I wouldn’t be here today.”

As part of his partnership with Oregon Mentors, Oden has purchased a block of 30 tickets to each Trail Blazers home game for mentors and mentees. Throughout the year, Oden will also host events that will allow him to spend time with Team ODEN mentors and the youth they support.

“We are excited to be working with the Trail Blazers, and with Greg Oden in particular,” said Carolyn Becic, executive director for Oregon Mentors. “Greg personally knows the impact a mentor can have on a young man’s life. Having Greg be part of our organization will not only raise awareness about the need for mentors in our state, but will also reward those who have shown their dedication to mentoring youth.”

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor can sign up for Team ODEN at www.oregonmentors.org, or learn about more than 100 affiliated mentoring programs throughout the state of Oregon.

Check out what Greg Oden is up to, while not playing Basketball..

http://www.boomshakalaka.org/2008/03/01/a-day-in-the-life-of-greg-oden/

What do you all think of Greg Oden’s new look?  Looks like a tough badboy huh!  Can’t wait for him to get back into the game!

Now that SHAQ is back in the West, can you imagine the matchup? Big Shaq, v. the kid wonder, Mr. Greg Oden. Shaq may be big enough to bang Greg around, but good luck to the Kazaam trying to chase Big O around!

Check this out. Too funny. Greg seems to be a smart man!