The Biggest Bust in NBA History: The Story of Greg Oden

In the high-stakes world of professional sports, the annual draft serves as a pivotal moment for teams to secure new talent, offering a glimmer of hope for franchises seeking to bolster their rosters. Scouts, Coaches, and GMs scour the world to potentially discover the next Lebron or Randy Moss. But when a player is picked with high expectations, there's also the chance they might not live up to the hype—a situation fans often refer to as a "bust." Be it struggling with injuries right off the bat or simply not living up to their potential, every fan's nightmare is drafting a player who turns out to be a bust. In this article we will explore the story of who many NBA fans consider the biggest bust ever, Greg Oden.

(Yahoo Sports)

Greg Oden originally hails from Buffalo, New York, but his family relocated to Indiana when he was just 9 years old. It wasn't until his middle school years that he first discovered his passion for basketball. Oden's towering presence on the court coupled with his exceptional skills quickly caught the eye of numerous coaches. Transitioning to high school, Greg and his family moved to Indianapolis where his basketball prowess soared to new heights. His achievements are nothing short of remarkable. He steered his team to an incredible three consecutive Indiana Class 4A basketball championships before graduating in 2006. Oden's accolades speak volumes—he was honored as Parade's High School Co-Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2005 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. His excellence led to a back-to-back win as the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2006. Moreover, he clinched the title of 2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball, secured a spot on the prestigious McDonald's All-American Team, played in the All-American game, and earned first-team Parade All-American honors for two consecutive years.

In 2005 as one of the nation's best recruits, Greg Oden committed to the University of Ohio State. But right at the start of his freshman season, a wrist injury benched him for a few games. When he finally got on the court in December, he showed up big time, putting up some solid stats. As the season rolled on, he just kept getting better, hitting a point where he was averaging a double-double in later games. At the end of the year he was named the Big 10 defensive player of the year, solidifying himself as a premiere big man in the country. When March came around, Oden solidified as the best big man in the country with his insane performances. In the Buckeyes run to the title, Oden was a beast in the paint, and other teams would be crazy to test him. In the sweet sixteen, Tennessee tried to test him, and well it didn’t work out as Oden blocked the potential game winning shot, continuing the Buckeyes run. In the title game even though the Buckeyes fell short, Oden went crazy dropping 25 points and 12 rebounds. His performances were so insane that he landed a spot on the First Team All-American alongside the incredible Kevin Durant from Texas. What's crazy is that they were the first freshmen to make that All-American team since 1990.

(BVM Sports)

After only one year as a Buckeye, Oden decided it was time to go to the big leagues, and he declared for the NBA draft. He didn’t have to wait long, as he was picked with the #1 overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers. Blazers fans were hyped for their new star, but their hopes were short lived. In September suffered a season ending knee injury, due to surgery. This started the downhill of Odens short career. In 2008 Greg Oden was set to play his rookie year, as he missed the first season from injury, and he made his NBA debut in November of 2008 against the Lakers. Again, his time was short lived as he left the game with a foot injury. This was not season ending, and Oden made his return just 2 weeks later. In the next stretch it seemed that Oden had finally settled in, as fans saw why he was picked #1 overall. In January, he put up a dominant statline scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. But just a month later fans were left in shambles again, as you guessed it, Oden suffered another injury. But it was nothing terrible again, only a short 3 week period of rest, and Oden was back on the court. Oden was on fire starting the 2009 season, with his amazing finishing and rebounding. But yet again, Oden suffered another injury. This time, it was very serious. Oden required surgery for fractured patella, taking him out for the rest of the season.

Oden would not play another minute of Basketball for the next 4 years. It wasn't until January of 2014 when Greg Oden finally returned to the court with the Miami Heat. The Heat reached the finals this year, but fell short to the San Antonio Spurs. Oden’s career was short lived, as in 2015, Oden signed a contract to play in China, with the Jiangsu Dragons. His career in China ended just a few months later, when he parted ways with the club after only 25 games, which would be the end of his professional basketball career.

(MOC)

Let's take a step back and imagine what Oden was going through. Through 2 years, Oden suffered 4 injuries, 2 being season ending. The physical well being for starters, must have been horrible. His repeated knee injuries, including microfracture surgeries, were a source of immense physical pain and prolonged rehabilitation. These types of surgeries, specifically, can be grueling and necessitate extensive recovery periods. For a professional athlete like Oden, these setbacks meant not just physical agony but also countless hours of rehabilitation and the frustration of being unable to perform at his peak.

Even worse was his mental health. Facing such frequent setbacks and enduring the frustration of not being able to consistently perform at his best could have deeply impacted Oden. The uncertainty of whether he'd fully recover or how these injuries might affect his career surely weighed heavily on his mind.

The pressure of expectations combined with the constant battle to overcome injuries might have created a tumultuous period for Oden, affecting his confidence and mental well-being, despite his undeniable talent and potential in basketball.

The unfortunate fact of Odens story is that it wasn't the fact that he was playing bad, it is just he could never stay healthy. When Oden was able to stay on the court his impact was immense. His career truly highlights that in sports, nothing is ever given and is a big reminder of how fragile a pro athlete's career can be and how much physical setbacks can mess with someone's life, dreams, and mental strength.