Greg Oden and 2007 NBA Draft

When Greg Oden was in the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, initially no one knew if this was 100% true or not. But it was Bill Duffy who confirmed that yes indeed, Oden had been selected first by the Portland Trail Blazers. Bill Duffy is the head of one of the, if not the, most well-known agencies for those professional basketball players good enough to be selected to play for the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Greg Oden and Bill Duffy

Bill Duffy is definitely someone you want to represent you if you are a top basketball player like Greg Oden. Apart from being a very well-known agent in the field, he is also extremely talented. His company – BDA Sports Management – represents many highly reputable players, such as Brandon Jennings and Baron Davis. As well, Mr. Duffy certainly knows what he’s looking for when it comes to highly talented basketball players. He himself was a professional player at some point, being selected in the 1982 NBA Draft in the fifth round.

Trail Blazers Camp – Following in the Footsteps of Greg Oden

Certainly, if you’re a 7-13 year old child, there is no better place to be this summer than at the Trail Blazers Hoop Camps. These awesome camps are designed to coach kids from all skills levels and to offer them the fundamentals of the life through basketball. They’ll learn about hard work, self esteem, teamwork, self discipline, education, respecting themselves and their peers, and so much more.

The camp will take place at the Trail Blazers practice facility, where the likes of Greg Oden, Juwan Howard, Patrick Mills and the rest of the team practices. Campers will get to spend the week learning Trail Blazers basketball with former Oregon Ducks Shooting Guard Adrian Stelly. The campers will get to check out the facilities as well, with a full tour of the locker room, training room, player lounge and more! You can’t get much cooler than that!

For any Greg Oden fan, or for a fan of the Trail Blazers in general, this is a unique opportunity. They can feel like Greg Oden as they learn the moves and have fun following in his footsteps - on his court!

Lenny Wilkens – Long Before the Greg Oden Era

Lenny Wilkens was more than just a coach for the Portland Trail Blazers over three decades ago. He is probably best known for his double induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, in 1989 as a player and then again in 1998 as an NBA coach.

He did well as vice chairman of the Seattle SuperSonics ownership group, becoming its President of Basketball Operations in 2007. But less than three months later, Wilkens resigned from this organization. He’s still in the basketball picture today though. He sometimes appears on Northwest College Hoops at game nights as well as Northwest FSN Studio as a College Hoops analyst.

Wilkens only coached the Trail Blazers for one season, but retired with a pretty impressive array of wins. Indeed at the time of his retirement, he boasted 1,332 wins and 1,155 losses, which puts him in second place for most wins. He has over 35 years of professional coaching, which is one of the longest of any NBA coaches. Perhaps if he would have been around today, in Greg Oden’s time, he may have remained with the Trail Blazers for a somewhat longer period of time.