Greg Oden, the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, admitted he ‘felt like a failure’ as he struggled to get to grips with pro basketball at the Portland Trail Blazers.
As a freshman at Ohio State, Oden led the Buckeyes to the NCAA men’s basketball championship game in 2007 which saw his stock skyrocket as he averaged 15.7 points and 9.5 rebounds during a dominant regular season campaign. The Blazers took him first overall in the draft, and the rest is history.
Unfortunately, Oden is undoubtedly one of the biggest busts in NBA history. He was selected ahead of Kevin Durant - a former MVP, a sure-fire Hall of Famer and widely considered one of the game’s all-time great scorers - as well as the likes of Al Horford, Mike Conley and Jeff Green who are all still competing in the NBA today.
Oden made his last NBA appearance nine years ago. The 35-year-old appeared to be the next great center but injures and other issues plagued his career, and on Wednesday he revealed how he felt after failing to live up to the hype.
“I just felt like a failure,” Oden told The Ringer’s Mirin Fader. “I felt like I let a lot of people down.
“Letting Portland down, letting the whole entire staff and organisation down. I felt like I let my family down and everybody who coached me and believed in me.”
Oden went on to claim his physical struggles led to personal problems like alcohol abuse and an addiction to painkillers. He even suggested he was so embarrassed about the turn of events he constantly hid his face with a hoodie as he ‘felt like a loser’.
Ultimately, injuries derailed Oden’s career before he set foot on an NBA court. Shortly after he was drafted, Oden underwent right knee surgery and was forced to miss his entire rookie season. He returned for the 2008/09 season but he appeared out of sorts, averaging 8.9 points and 7 rebounds per game - while he missed 21 games due to other injuries.
His physical health nose-dived afterwards. Oden only played 21 games in 2009/10 as he suffered a season-ending patella fracture, while he needed micro-fracture surgery on his left knee.
Finally, the Blazers gave up on Oden. The franchise cut him in 2012 and he attempted an unlikely comeback in the 2013/14 season with the Miami Heat, but he played just 23 games. His pro basketball career came to an end in China as a member of the Jiangsu Dragons.
Remarkably, Oden’s tragic story seems to have a happy ending. Basketball may have chewed and spat him out, but Oden remains infatuated with the sport. He was offered the role of director of basketball operations at the Butler University Bulldogs under his former coach Thad Matta.
“It’s fun,” Oden added. “It’s hard. But I really do enjoy it.”
