Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Greg Oden’s sit-down with The OGs

Former Miami Heat backup center Greg Oden stopped by Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller’s studio for the latest episode of The OGs podcast. It was another bitter-sweet stroll down memory lane.

The 2007 Big 10 Freshman of the Year and NBA’s first overall pick is one of the “what-if?” stories. His work at Ohio State distinguished him as the next great big man. Yet injuries and a pit of depression savaged his career.

He recorded 88 outings for the Portland Trail Blazers in the regular season and Playoffs in five years. Next, Oden spent three years rehabbing before making his comeback. He had three teams in mind: the Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. 

The word is the Kings offered a three-year deal on the condition that he plays at least 75 games. He said the Mavericks presented a two-season contract with a player option and they didn’t want him to play the first campaign. And the Heat extended the same pact, but when he got to Miami, kept him waiting five days for a deal.

He joined the 2013-14 Heat. He remembers feeling nervous because of his time away. Norris Cole and LeBron James made him comfortable, but he says he was “scared as fuck” of Haslem, who was mean-mugging in the locker room. 

The big man was still on a minutes restriction with them. “If I practice, I can’t play the next two days,” Oden said. “Or if I played, I can’t practice the next two days.”

The Heat were the back-to-back defending champions then. Notably, that squad exchanged Christmas gifts at Tootsies Cabaret, one of Miami’s most famous strip clubs. Haslem said, “We needed that bonding” because the group played on national TV often and was constantly scrutinized. 

That year, the Heat went to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals but were demolished in five games by the San Antonio Spurs. This was a rematch of the previous season’s championship series, which ended in seven games with the Heat victorious. 

Oden shared that losing at the end hurt, and he had already picked his middle finger to bear his championship ring. 

He added, “I was hoping we [were] going to get it, and I never talked about it, but Kawhi [Leonard] got it cause of Game 3.” Leonard erupted for 29 points on 10 of 13 shots. One of his top moments was posterizing Chris Bosh, a sequence that Oden admits left him visibly startled. 

The last time he touched the floor as an NBA player was in Game 4 of the 2014 Finals. He recorded 80 seconds in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss. 

Incredibly, after the Spurs waxed the Heat in Game 5, he shared that LeBron was practicing in the Heat’s facility early the morning after the flight back with his mother, Gloria, in attendance. Oden was there for a workout and exit meetings. He was amazed at his teammates’ commitment to excellence. 

Also, Oden thought he was healthy enough to keep balling, but no opportunities presented themselves.

He is currently an assistant coach for the Butler Bulldogs. He transitioned into that role after being the director of basketball operations. 

Of note: Oden said Yao Ming was the toughest player he guarded, praising his fadeaway. 

Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic and Brook Lopez are his favorite big men today.

He recently graduated from Ohio State University with his master’s degree.

Oden introduced Haslem to a potent, mixed and chilled elixir of Patron and Hennessy. It’s called Patrenessy and was developed by former NFL running back Marshall Lynch. Haslem said it ”can start a jet.”

LeBron James was a fan of his when both were Heatles. 

And Oden still keeps his playbook from his lone season with the Heat. “I take it to a lot of the coaches and show them things from that year.”

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