This journey surely has not been easy for Greg Oden, from college football to the NBA. So many failures and obstacles, yet he did not give up.
He was the first pick in the NFL draft, but due to some reasons, he could not perform as expected. So, he is considered the biggest bust in the history of the NBA.
But Greg did not let the criticisms demotivate him, and he constantly focused on making his game better.
However, many feel that Greg is one underrated basketball player, and he has not been enough opportunities to prove his worth.
Today, we dive deep into the life of Greg Oden. But first, let us have an instant glance at the quick facts.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. |
| Birth Date | January 22, 1988 |
| Birth Place | Buffalo, New York, United States |
| Famous as | Greg Oden |
| Age | 36 |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Black |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Education |
|
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Father’s Name | Greg Oden Sr. |
| Mother’s Name | Zoe Oden |
| Siblings | Anthony Oden |
| Height | 7 feet (2.13 m) |
| Weight | 124 kg (273 lbs) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Sabrina Oden |
| Children | Londyn Oden |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| Affiliation | NBA |
| NBA Draft | 2007 |
| Overall Pick | 1 |
| Position | Center |
| Net Worth | $16 Million |
| Salary | $2 Million |
| Merch | Trading Card |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Last Updated | April, 2024 |
Greg Oden: Early Life and Education
Gregory Wayne Oden Jr., also famous as Greg Oden, was born on January 22, 1988, in Buffalo, New York.
He was born to Greg Oden Sr. (father) and Zoe Oden (mother). Greg had an average childhood, and his parents tried to give him the best life possible.
When Greg turned nine, he and his whole family moved to Indiana. There he joined Sarah Scott Middle School, and from there, he started playing basketball; before that, he didn’t play basketball.
However, Greg had to leave Sarah Scott and move to Lawrence North High School. Greg’s mother moved out of his father’s home, so he and his brother moved in with their mother and changed the school.
Before graduating in 2006, Greg won three consecutive Indiana Class 4A basketball championships.
After graduating, he attended Parade High School, and they’re also showed his exceptional basketball skills and impressed everyone.
He was even named the co-player of the Year from Parade Hugh School.
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Greg Oden: Career
High School Career
Again, in 2006 he became Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Greg had already reached good heights of success in his school years.
Greg achieved everything in his high school from 2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball to the McDonald’s All-American to first-team Parade All-American honors for two straight years.
College Career
Oden joined Ohio State University to play for the 2006-07 season. But unfortunately, just before that season started, Greg suffered an injury.
As a result, he missed that season and watched the matches sitting on the bench. But Greg didn’t lose hope, and he made his grand entry on the court in December of 2006.
He performed so well, showed exceptional skills, and was even named the once-in-a-decade Player by Steve Kerr. Besides, he finished that game with 14 points, ten rebounds, and five blocks.
Following that, Oden was announced as the Player of the Week. In 2007, he was even named as the First Team All-Big Ten. He was also voted for the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
In one of the NCAA’s prestigious matches named Sweet Sixteen, Oden blocked a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds against Tennessee and preserved an 85–84 victory to lead Ohio State against Memphis and qualify in the 2007 National Championship.
However, they lost the match against Florida Gaters, but Oden’s game was appreciated by many.
Later, the Associated Press All-American Team named Oden alongside good basketball players like Kevin Durant, Arron Afflalo, Alando Tucker, and Acie Law.
And the most amazing part was that he had never lost a home game throughout Oden’s college and high school career.
NBA Career
Oden announced he would be entering the NBA draft 2007, and everyone was excited about his entry. Finally, and not so surprisingly, Oden’s biggest dream of being part of the NBA came true.
And astoundingly, he was the #1 pick of the TrailBlazer in the draft. So Blazer signed him for two years. But sadly, Oden could not play the first season of the NBA due to his knee surgery.
Even though Oden was drafted in 2007, he was again classified as a rookie for the 2008 season. His injury dragged him a year later as a rookie.
But he didn’t score any point in the first match as he had to leave the match after thirteen minutes due to injury, again.
After being out of the game for two weeks, Oden finally scored his first-ever point in NBA in 2009.
Not only did he score his first points, he even scored his career-high of 24 points.
However, Oden could not show more of himself with the injuries. Further in 2009, with a match against Golden State Warriors, he suffered a knee injury and missed three weeks.
The years from 2008 to 2010 were injury-filled for Oden. He appeared in matches but could present his potential.
However, Blazers knew Oden’s capability and kept him in their team despite his critical injury.
Later Career
Three seasons and not performing well is a nightmare for a player.
Indeed, that was a tough phase for Oden; he could not play, and his career was at risk.
After four years, Blazer had no choice, and they had to waive Oden so that the new roster could get a chance.
Furthermore, many teams wanted Oden to be in their team as per online sources.
In 2013, Miami Heats signed Oden for a year. He played his first NBA match in 2013 since 2009 and managed to score two points in that match.
Oden was coming back in form; he recorded 6 points and two rebounds in just eight minutes of game time.
Undoubtedly, Oden made a good comeback, and he joined CBA, where he performed well. He played twenty-five games in CBA and earned an average of 13 points and two blocks.
Retirement
Oden was doing well, but he decided to retire in 2018. His last match was for Scarlet and Gray, where he scored 2 points and a block in nine minutes.
In 2019, Edyoucore Sports & Entertainment announced Oden joined their team as an athlete advisor. But after that, there are no pieces of information regarding Oden’s career.
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Greg Oden: Net Worth
The primary source of Oden’s earring is from his basketball career. Whatever he has earned because of basketball.
It is expected that Oden has a net worth of $16 million, and he earns around $2 million as a salary which is quite a good amount of money.
Apart from that, Jiangsu Dragons in 2015 gave $1.2 million to Greg to be in their team. In 2013, Miami Heats signed Oden for a year for $1,207,000.
Trail Blazers have given him the highest amount of money, i.e., $9,674,000 for two years contract.
Oden lives in a home worth $685K, formerly belonging to Trailblazers player Juan Dixon.
Greg Oden: Controversy
Greg Oden has made several headlines for his career many times, but in 2014 it was quite the opposite, and he was making headlines for the wrong reasons.
The NBA player was arrested as he was accused of hitting his then-girlfriend Candyce Brown. As per news outlets, he was arrested the morning after allegedly attacking Candyce.
The situation got worse when the evidence of blood in several places around the house was found where that incident took place.
Police immediately took Oden in custody and took him to jail. Later, Oden was fined $200 and ordered counseling of 26 weeks regarding domestic violence.
He was also given alcoholics anonymous classes with 909 days of probation.
Greg Oden: Personal Life
With passing time, Oden is changing himself for good. Before, he used to be one aggressive boyfriend and has been in many relationship troubles.
But now, he is happily married and even has a kid; he is married to Sabrina Oden.
There was a type when Oden used to drink from morning to night, but Sabrina’s entry into his life has brought some good changes.
Today, Oden is happy, living his life to the fullest. He tries to spend as much time as possible with his family.
Oden knew the importance of education, so he decided to complete his education.
He went to Ohio State University and graduated from there in 2016 with a degree in sports.
Indeed, Oden is living his best life with all the luxuries and love of family.
Social Media Presence
Oden is active on Twitter and Instagram. He has around 48k followers on Instagram and keeps posting about his gym, training, and family.
Apart from that, he also uses Twitter. He joined Twitter in 2011 and has around 5k followers.
Besides, if you want to know more about Greg, you can find any information regarding him on social media.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many games did Oden play in NBA?
In his six years long career, he was seen playing in 105 games. He could not play much due to injuries.
Why did Oden retire?
Oden retired because he felt he was not doing much in the NBA. Most of the time, he was in bed rests due to surgeries. Hence, he decided to retire to take a break and rest.
