Greg Oden Makes 1st Career Start for Miami Heat in Place of LeBron James

The feel-good story of the 2013-14 NBA season just got a little bit better. 

According to Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick, Miami Heat center Greg Oden will make his first start of the season on Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Bulls: 

With LeBron James out after suffering a broken nose on Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Oden will assume the role of Miami's starting center alongside Chris Bosh, Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers and Dwyane Wade.

According to ESPN's Tom Haberstroh, the frontcourt combination of Bosh and Oden has been productive on both ends of the floor this season, even if it has been in a relatively small sample size: 

In addition to making his first start as a member of the Heat, Oden will be making his first start in more than four years, per Skolnick: 

Since signing with Miami in August, Oden is averaging 2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 10 appearances and 78 total minutes this season. The former No. 1 overall pick also owns an individual defensive rating of 100, per Basketball Reference, which ties his previous career-best mark set during the 2009-10 campaign. 

Sunday's matchup will also pit Oden against All-Star center Joakim Noah, who shares a history with the former Ohio State Buckeye dating back to 2007, as noted by The Miami Herald's Joe Goodman: 

Regardless of how Oden performs against the Bulls and for the duration of his remarkable comeback season, there's no doubting that he's earned this shot at redemption after dealing with countless knee surgeries and a painstaking rehabilitation process.