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Oden: ‘I’m one of the biggest busts’
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Former No. 1 overall draft pick Greg Oden acknowledged that he may go down as one of the biggest disappointments in NBA history.
Oden, who was selected first by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007, has been mired by knee injuries that have limited him to just 105 games since he was drafted.
Oden played in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons before his career was cut short. Following nearly four years of rehab, he signed with the Miami Heat this season and averaged just 9.2 minutes over 23 games.
Oden was asked by Grantland.com if he is satisfied with his potential legacy.
“I’m over all of that,” Oden said. “I know I’m one of the biggest busts in NBA history and I know that it’ll only get worse as Kevin Durant continues doing big things. … It’s frustrating that my body can’t do what my mind wants it to do sometimes. But worrying or complaining about it isn’t going to fix anything. … I wish the circumstances would let me play more, but I certainly don’t regret coming back, and I don’t regret signing with the Heat.”
While Oden was the top pick in ’07, Durant was taken second by the Oklahoma City Thunder that year and has turned into a star. He won his first MVP of his career this season after leading the NBA in scoring at 32.0 points per game.
Oden has career averages of 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.
