Greg Oden is a former No. 1 NBA draft pick whose career was derailed by repeated knee injuries, and he has since transitioned into coaching, education, and off-court work after battling depression and alcohol issues. In recent years he has been involved with Ohio Stateā€™s program and financial literacy and public-speaking initiatives while living with chronic pain from his playing days.

Early NBA promise

  • Greg Oden was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2007 NBA Draft, ahead of Kevin Durant.
  • Multiple serious knee injuries limited him to just a few seasons and fewer than 150 NBA games, cutting short what was expected to be a superstar -level career.

Injuries and career end

  • Oden missed his entire first NBA season after microfracture surgery on his right knee, then suffered further knee injuries that led to several surgeries and long layoffs.
  • After brief comebacks, including a stint with the Miami Heat, ongoing knee problems effectively ended his NBA career in the midā€‘2010s.

Off-court struggles

  • Postā€‘NBA, Oden has spoken openly about experiencing severe depression and turning to alcohol as he tried to cope with injuries and the ā€œbustā€ label.
  • His reputation was further damaged by a 2014 domestic violence incident involving his thenā€‘girlfriend, for which he was arrested and later entered a plea agreement.

Life after the NBA

  • Oden returned to Ohio State to finish his undergraduate degree around 2016, later rejoining the program as a student assistant and then on the coaching staff while pursuing graduate studies.
  • More recently he has been involved in financial literacy education for athletes and entertainers and has talked about wanting to do more public speaking about his mistakes and lessons learned.

Current status and latest news

  • Oden remains closely connected to basketball through Ohio State and public appearances; fans still occasionally note him being ā€œin the houseā€ at games and events.
  • He has described himself as focused on family, education, and using his story to help others, even as he continues to live with chronic pain from his injuries and an NBA career that ended far earlier than expected.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.