Portland, Oregon with Greg Oden

Greg Oden gives us fans a glimpse of Portland, Oregon

Oden Picked for Rookie-Sophomore Game in 2009

Back in 2009 Greg Oden was picked to participate in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam, which took place on February 13, 2009. Also picked were Kevin Durant the forward from the Oklahoma City Thunders, the T-Mobile Rookie of the year at the time; guard Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls who was the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft; and Oden team-mate for the Portland Trail Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez.

Broadcast nationally, the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam was aired on the TNT channel and was also broadcast over the radio on ESPN. NBA.com made a live audio available in a variety of languages in addition to English.

Partnering with the NBA and NBA Cares, T-Mobile created the special Challenge to be an “once-in-a-lifetime” chance for Phoenix students to experience NBA All-Star 2009. More than 3,500 students from participating Arizona school districts, ages 11-15, successfully completed fitness, nutrition and community service requirements and earned the ‘best seats in the house’ at the US Airways Arena from which to watch the Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam game.

A Bit about Greg Oden

Greg Oden is a force to be reckoned with on the court. Born Gregory Wayne “Greg” Oden, Jr. on January 22, 1988 in Buffalo, New York, Oden currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA.

While still in high school, Oden was named the PARADE’s High School Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year for two consecutive years.
He joined the basketball team at Ohio State University for one season. During that year, the team was the Big Ten Champions and they were the runner-up in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship.

During the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.

#52 Gets His Start

After one year at Ohio State University, Greg Oden entered the 2007 NBA Draft. He was quickly selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the #1 overall pick. He chose the uniform number 52 and he signed for two guaranteed seasons and for team options for third and fourth seasons.

Rick Kamla has Oden on his blog list as one of the 50 current players most likely to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Watch him in action here with the Greg Oden 2008-09 Rookie Season Highlight Video (Part 1)

Oden Rules The Court

Few disagree that Greg Oden is a power player who has already made a serious impact in the NBA. This is surprising, since Oden is still in his early 20's. Oden is known for being a talented scorer, rebounder, and power blocker who brings an intense energy to the hardwood.