Greg Oden will always be remembered as a guy that had all the potential in the world but was unable to stay on the floor in his professional career. Oden was the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers but has missed a ton of time since then due to injuries. Oden has reportedly signed a deal for next season with the Jiangsu Tigers in China, according to Real GM. The deal is reportedly worth $1.2 million for that one year.
Oden had previously worked out this offseason for the Charlotte Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks but was unable to get an NBA deal which led to him signing a deal to play overseas. After playing a combined 82 games in first two season Oden sat out for three years with knee injuries before attempting a comeback with the Miami Heat in 2013-14. Oden played in only 23 games for the Heat and averaged just 9.2 minutes per game and then sat out last season.
Oden is still just 27 years old and is a huge man at 7-foot and 250 lbs. but his constant injuries have really deprived him of fulfilling his huge potential. In parts of three seasons in his NBA career, to this point, Oden has averaged 8 points and 6.2 rebounds in just 19.3 minutes per game. When Oden was able to play he had an impact on the court but that didn't happen too often.
It is entirely possible that Oden could go overseas and have a great year in which he stays healthy and ends up back in the NBA in 2016-17 but that wouldn't be a great bet to make based on his injury history.
Oden will always be linked to Kevin Durant as they were the consensus top two picks in the 2007 draft. The Trail Blazers chose Oden over Durant who has since gone on to become a top three player in the NBA while Oden is relegated to playing on a one year deal in China. Oden at one point was considered a can't miss prospect and even was considered by some to be the next Shaquille O'Neal but that unfortunately never materialized.
Here's a look at some of his dominating moments early on in his career.
