KEY POINTS

  • Greg Oden was the number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft
  • Oden was constantly injured and never got to play at his full potential
  • Oden is now an athlete adviser for a financial literacy company 

Greg Oden will always be associated with one of the NBA’s what-if stories. The seven-footer was a dominant big man in college for Ohio State University. His tremendous presence inside the pain and versatility on the offensive and defensive side propelled him to become the number one overall pick in 2007. He’s also known as the player the Portland Trailblazers picked before Kevin Durant.

While the hype around him was immense, he wasn’t able to reach his full potential in the league. He sat out his first season due to a micro-fracture injury on his knee that resulted in a yearlong recovery process. He formally kicked off his career in the succeeding year but was already feeling the effects of his constant injury.

He never fully got to recover and was out of the league in 2010. He attempted a comeback in 2014 as a member of the Miami Heat but it, unfortunately, fell to only just 23 regular-season games and 3 games in the playoffs.

The talented and supposed to be the next big thing for the NBA was not able to fulfill what was expected of him as a star. But the former Trail Blazer shared that he has taken a new path in his life. He is now enjoying a mentorship role outside the court and into the financial literacy of fellow athletes.

He’s currently a financial adviser for athletes in a financial education company called Edyoucoure. Per their website, their advocacy is educating, equipping and empowering individuals in sports and entertainment to make better financial, business and lifestyle decisions.

This campaign aims to avoid professional athletes throwing away all their hard-earned money. The narrative of a star athlete losing millions of dollars due to poor financial decisions has been heard over and over again. It’s an unfortunate bit of news that Oden and the rest of Edyoucore would want to end.

"Be engaged. Pay attention where all your money is going," said Oden per TMZ. The former NBA starter who earned millions also throughout his career is looking to change these decisions made by fellow competitors.

Greg Oden
Greg Oden hasn't played in an NBA game since 2010. Reuters