Greg Oden Reflects on First Brutal Blazers Injury

Portland memorably drafted Oden ahead of Kevin Durant, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah.

Dec 16, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden (52) poses for a photo during media day at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images / Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, expected to form a lethal frontcourt tandem against already-drafted power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, had a tragically brief NBA career. He appeared in just 82 games for the Trail Blazers across five seasons with the club, which included totally missing three seasons of play in 2007-08, 2010-11, and 2011-12.

In a fresh interview with eventual Miami Heat colleague Udonis Haslem and Haslem's longtime Heat teammate Mike Miller on their essential podcast "The OGs," Oden unpacked the hardship of his first major injury after being selected first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. In September, prior to the start of what would have been his rookie season in 2007-08, the 7-foot big man had his first microfracture surgery for address a right knee injury — but it would not be his last.

"We head to Portland, got a nice little parade, I meet everybody. [The] Trail Blazer staff and everybody in the front office is amazing. I'm not gonna lie to you," Oden said. "I'm working out, I go to Summer League... Didn't really do what I was supposed to do. But I do remember working out, and I got me a new pair of shoes. One day, I'm working out, the next day [my knee] was just big... Literally I couldn't put on my pants. Go in, they said, 'You've got some missing cartilage in there.' I'm thinking, 'Go clean it up, then we'll talk about it'... They just went ahead and did the microfracture. I mean, it was talked about, but in my head, I was like, 'We're just gonna clean it up and then we'll have a real sit-down about that.'"

He would go on to enjoy his healthiest-ever season as a rookie in 2008-09, appearing in 61 games (39 starts) while averaging 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds, along with 1.1 blocks. Oden chipped his knee cap in February of that season, and sat out for three weeks.

Looking back, it's safe to say that the Trail Blazers erred in selecting the doomed Oden with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft out of Ohio State, ahead of a variety of eventual All-Stars. Oden packed plenty of promise as a game-changing defensive force in college, so his pro upside was real. But it was ultimately not to be.

Obviously, future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant (the No. 2 pick) is the player Portland fans must be agonizing over. He was drafted by the league's other Pacific Northwest team (at the time), the Seattle Supersonics, and has gone on to win one league MVP award while with the Oklahoma City Thunder and two championships as Finals MVP while with the Golden State Warriors. Durant is a 14-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA Team honoree, and even now in his relative NBA dotage remains one of the league's elite scorers for the Phoenix Suns. The 35-year-old has already made $396.8 million just in on-the-court earnings, and is owed another $105.9 million across his next two seasons.

Oden was also selected over two borderline potential Hall of Famers in centers Al Horford (the No. 3 pick) and Marc Gasol (the No. 48 pick). Horford is now a five-time All-Star, one-time All-NBA honoree and was a sixth man role player on a championship team. Gasol was a three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA Teamer, and one-time All-Defensive Second Teamer... but was somehow also voted Defensive Player of the Year that season, despite not even making the First Team. He won a pair of silver medals for some loaded Spanish teams at the Olympics, and won his lone championship as a starter for the Toronto Raptors in 2019 (against Durant's Warriors).

Oden's former Ohio State teammate Mike Conley, the No. 4 pick, was a one-time All-Star and one-time All-Defensive Teamer. Conley, 36, is embarking on his 18th NBA season as a starter and locker room leader for one of the West's top contenders, the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has already earned $274,127,986 across his career, and just inked a two-year, $20.8 million contract extension that will pay him through the 2025-26 season.

Horford's former title-winning Florida teammate Joakim Noah was selected with the No. 9 pick. Across a 13-year career, the 6-foot-11 big man would go on to be a two-time All-Star, three-time All-Defensive Teamer, one-time All-NBA First Teamer, the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year and a one-time MVP finalist.

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