Photo Source: Manhattan Orthopedic Care

The Background

Greg Oden was an NBA player that was born on January 22, 1988 in Buffalo, New York. He attended the and declared for the NBA draft in 2007, where the Portland Trail Blazers picked him first overall over Kevin Durant. Oden won plenty of awards throughout his basketball career. Listed below are his accomplishments and awards. 

  • Indiana Mr. Basketball (2006)
  • Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award (2006)
  • NABC Defensive Player of the Year Award (2007)
  • Pete Newell Big Man Award (2007)

Pre-Injury

Before the injury, Greg Oden was a dominant player in Ohio State. He would average 15.7 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game and 3.3 blocks per game. When he was drafted to the Trail Blazers, Portland had a lot of hope for this big man. In 2007, Oden was out for a microfacture surgery in his right knee, causing his rookie year to be delayed. Fast forward 2 years and Oden is averaging 11.1 points a game, 8.5 points a game and 2.3 blocks a game. All was good for Oden, but then he got injured the following year.

 

The Injury

In December of 2009, The Portland Trail Blazers were going against the Houston Rockets. A few minutes into the game, Aaron Brooks shot a floater over Oden. Oden was attempting to defend the floater when he fractured his left patella without contact. This injury caused Greg Oden to be out for 3 seasons. 

 

Photo Source: Intermountain Healthcare

Post Injury

Oden had a microfacture surgery on his left knee in November of 2010 and another microfacture surgery on his left knee in Febuary of 2012. During Oden’s rehab, he would spend a lot of time in the weight room with Jay Jenson, Head Athletic Trainer for the Portland Trail Blazers. “Greg’s doing great, he’s very compliant. The goals we had set out for him for the first two months of his rehab were to keep his quadtone trying to maintain it, trying to keep his range of motion”-Jay Jenson on Greg Oden’s rehab process. In 2012, Portland traded Oden to the Miami Heat where Oden played with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Soon enough, Oden retired in 2016 claiming he will be known as the biggest bust in history.

 

Photo Source: oregonlive