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Tim Reynolds: The No. 1 picks who have been/are teammates with LeBron James: - Shaquille O'Neal - Joe Smith - Greg Oden - Kyrie Irving - Derrick Rose - Andrew Bogut - Anthony Davis - Dwight Howard - Deandre Ayton - Allen Iverson (Olympics) - Tim Duncan (Olympics) - Anthony Edwards (Olympics)

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A lot of how player careers pan out depends on where they get drafted, and how that team’s culture is. Portland seems like a great franchise, but do you ever think of scenarios where you could see yourself having a long career if you ended up somewhere else or did your knees just didn’t let that happen? Greg Oden: I don’t really think like that. I’m so grateful for the Portland Trail Blazers franchise just for changing my life, changing my family’s lives. It was my body. My body just didn’t hold up at that time. So, I try not to think about the what-ifs as much and enjoy what really happened.

HoopsHype

I read a Boston Globe article from earlier this year, and you admitted that you lacked the work ethic going into your NBA career. Was that because you were hurt and you didn’t want to do the extra work to get in shape or was it more because you were just immature at the time? Greg Oden: I think it was a little bit of both. A little bit of immaturity, but also, having all the injuries, it took so much more to get to an even playing field. I think that was a big part of it. And also, it’s hard to get in shape when you can’t run with all my knee problems. So, I had to handle myself a little differently because, if I worked out too hard, I would probably be out for two or three days. If I practice two days in a row, I would probably be out two or three days. So, at one point in my career, it was like, do you want me for practice or do you want me for the games?

HoopsHype

When you were younger and playing, did you listen to the doctors through and through, or were there certain steps you didn’t completely listen to entirely? Greg Oden: Oh no. I listened to the doctors. I listened to everything they said and everything they asked of me, everything the trainers asked of me, because I wanted to get back out there.

HoopsHype

You were in Miami for your last year. Did you feel the infrastructure of ‘Heat Culture’ there? Greg Oden: Yes, I mean I was a part of it. I mean we made it to the Finals, from the organization to the coaching staff to every player on that team, you definitely felt that was the culture. To everybody that worked in the Heat organization, it was just amazing. They were all going for one goal, and that was to get championships and be the best player you could possibly be. And it helps when you’re in Miami. There are a lot of distractions in Miami. Was it easy to lock in? Greg Oden: To a certain extent, yes. I mean we all still grown men. We have to make our best decisions while we’re there. But, they have the structure to make sure you’re in your best shape there. Like I said, the coaching staff, Coach Erik Spoelstra, I mean, he’s literally worked in every job you could possibly have in that organization on the coaching staff. So, they definitely do a really good job of getting everybody prepared.

HoopsHype

Greg Oden: The Miami Heat culture is defined by Udonis Haslem. We all know that type of person he is, one of the best dudes, do anything for you but he gonna fight everybody in this b*tch. Having some of the best players on the planet and seeing them commit to that type of culture, weight and body fat, 10% down every Monday, coming in early me and Beasley up in that b*tch at seven, getting our workouts in, cuz we the new guys on the team and me having to prove myself and just being in Miami and I know where i was coming from in my history in Portland I became the party dude i'm in Miami now. I’m like ‘don't f*ck this up’. So I made sure that I was doing everything I needed to do, that was the last time my body was 10% body fat. I say this all the time, I saw super professionalism. I love coach Erik Spoelstra, I love that coaching staff and to see everything that he does seeing from top to bottom I remember coming in you know i got to come in early to get my workout in but Pat Riley already sitting in the practice gym at 7:30 in the morning and we just had a back-to-back, I’m like ‘oh this is a Pat Riley practice’.

YouTube

Greg Oden: But honestly, it was a good time. I really do appreciate the way Portland welcomed me. And my first real welcome? That came from Z-Bo. When I got there, my guy threw me an 'Indiana Welcome Party'—that’s what we called it. You gotta take care of your Indiana people, right? I swear, I was meeting people in Portland ten years later who were like, ‘Yo, I met you at that party.’ That party was amazing. Thank you, sir—I appreciate you, my brother.

YouTube

Greg Oden: "I had a leg length differential my whole life. Basically, when I was in the sixth grade, my leg was falling out of my hip. When I went to get an X-ray, by the time I took the bus home, my mom literally picked me up from the bus stop by our house and drove me all the way back to the hospital. They said that if I had spent another day like that, my leg was going to fall out of my hip—that’s how fast I was growing. To this day, I still have two pins in my hip. Because of that, I used to always walk with a limp, and my body got used to it. When I got to Portland, I got orthotics that helped correct it, but I don’t think my body was used to the change. I swear to God, the next day after getting orthotics, my knee blew up. Probably a week later, I was having microfracture surgery—and that was the end of my rookie season."

YouTube

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, whose career was cut short by numerous knee injuries, returned to the Moda Center Saturday night for the first time since he left the team in 2012. The former No. 1-overall pick by the Blazers in 2007 did so with his memorable smile, which outshined any lingering feelings of disappointment about a promising career that never was. “Everything that I went through, all the injuries and the ups and downs, got me to this point,” Oden, 36, said. “Got me to the person that I am now.”

Oregonian

On Saturday, his focus was on returning to the arena where the team he played just 82 games for in five seasons would take on the Dallas Mavericks. “For them to bring me and put me courtside, I’m very thankful because we all know those seats aren’t cheap, no matter where you go,” he said with a grin before the game. Oden expected a positive reaction from the fans attending the Blazers’ 126-122 win over the Mavericks. He got one. A video highlight reel of Oden dunking on seemingly most of the NBA ran for over a minute and the crowd gave Oden a big ovation.

Oregonian

Had Oden’s career gone as planned, he would have returned a conquering hero. Instead, Oden returned as a former player who through no fault of his own set back the franchise for years and left behind a litany of “what ifs.” Oden said he wondered how he would feel about returning to Rip City but insisted he was happy to be back. “This is a place where my life changed,” he said.

Oregonian

Chris Haynes: Sources: Former No. 1 pick Greg Oden will visit Portland for first time in over a decade on Dec. 27 and will sit courtside with family on Dec. 28 when Trail Blazers hosts Dallas Mavericks. He’s expected to share his story with players and staffers on how he overcame some difficult obstacles.

x.com

He admitted, with a smile, that it "hurt" to see some players receive arguably undeserving deals. Oden said he probably made around $24 million in his career. "The year I retired was the year Timofey Mozgov – no disrespect – got that $50 million. I wanted to kill everybody in the f---ing world," Oden said. "I hated life. I was depressed. If they threw him $50 mil? I was like all I need to do is be on the team and that's $20 million easy. It hurts my heart talking about it."

FOXnews.com

Former NBA No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden told IndyStar he is leaving his position as Butler men's basketball assistant coach. The former Lawrence North High School star would not comment on where he was heading next.

Indianapolis Star