Biography
Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. - was born January 22, 1988 in Buffalo, New York. Greg is an American Basketball player, currently playing for the Portland Trail Blazers on the National Basketball Association. While in High School, Oden was named the PARADE’s high school basketball player of the year. He was also named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year two years in a row- 2005 and 2006.
Oden lived in Buffalo until he was nine years old and then moved to Terre Haute, IN attending Fuqua Elementary School and playing basketball in the seventh grade at Sarah Scott Junior High School. He then moved to Indianapolis in the eighth grade. Oden has stated that if he was not an NBA player he would be going to school to be a dentist.
In the 2005-06 season, Oden, a 7′0″ 257 lb senior, led Lawrence North High School to an undefeated record, a third straight Class 4A Indiana state championship and the first ever player to finish for an Indiana school in USA Today’s Super 25 rankings. For the season, the center scored 22.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 74%. Oden dominated in the state championship game against Muncie Central, scoring a game-high 27 points and grabbing 26 rebounds. Lawrence North won its last three state championship games by a combined 56 points and its average margin of victory during the regular season was 41 points.
Oden was named the 2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball. He was also on the McDonald’s All-American Team and played in the All-American game. Oden led them to three straight state titles and 45 consecutive wins under coach Jack Keefer. Oden was named Parade’s High School Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with Monta Ellis) and 2005 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first junior since LeBron James to be named such.
Oden then attended Ohio State University, for just one season, and helped his team when the Big Ten Championship, along with finishing runner up in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship.
Oden had surgery on his right wrist due to an injury on June 16, 2006 in Indianapolis to repair a ligament injury late in his senior high school season. As a result, he sat on the bench during the beginning of the 2006-07 season with Ohio State, during which his team was ranked as high as first before losing to North Carolina He made his college debut on December 2, 2006 against Valpo, coming off the bench. He finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. As of March 14, 2007 Oden has averaged 15.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game.
The Big Ten honored Oden with Player of the Week as well being voted the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year., along with Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker on Jan. 29, 2007 on 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 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, 12 rebounds, and had 4 blocked shots in a losing effort against the Florida Gators
On March 26, 2007 Oden, along with Kevin Durant, Arron Affalo, Alando Tucker, and Acie Law IV. ware named to the Associated Press All-American Team. Oden and Durant are the first freshmen voted to the All-American First Team since 1990 and the third and fourth overall.
In June of 2007, Greg was chosen first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by Portland. Some have described Oden as “once in a decade player.”
Oden is expected to miss the 2007-08 season with the Portland Trail Blazers after having completed a microfracture surgery on his ailing right knee.