Greg Oden Discusses Legacy, Health, Career and More

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden has come to accept the fact his lasting basketball legacy will likely include being the biggest bust in NBA draft history.

Jeff Goodman of ESPN passed along comments Oden, the first overall selection in 2007, made to Outside the Lines about trying to move forward after failing to reach the sky-high expectations.

"I'll be remembered as the biggest bust in NBA history," Oden said. "But I can't do nothing about that."

The Buffalo native, who's now 28 and works as a student manager at Ohio State while taking classes, admitted to OTL he'd love to get an opportunity to change that status. He also understands his body simply isn't capable of giving him that chance, though.

"Don't get me wrong," Oden said. "If I was healthy, I would love to continue playing, but I'm not healthy."

The seven-foot post player looked like a can't-miss prospect. Scout ranked him as the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis in 2006 thanks to a dominant combination of size, touch around the rim and old-school pure power.

He lived up to the hype during his only season with the Buckeyes. He averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks while shooting 61.6 percent from the field.

The Blazers proceeded to make him the top pick in a talented draft class that also featured Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Mike Conley and Joakim Noah taken inside the top 10. In addition, fellow center Marc Gasol, a two-time All-Star, was taken with the 48th selection by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Oden didn't come anywhere close to matching any of their productivity at the NBA level. He averaged just 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks across 105 career games split between the Trail Blazers and Miami Heat.

Most of those struggles can be linked to an inability to stay healthy. His injury-plagued NBA tenure started by missing his expected rookie campaign due to microfracture surgery, and staying on the floor was a constant struggle from that point forward.

Ultimately, Oden is a victim of circumstance. It's not like he failed as a basketball player. His body merely couldn't hold up against the rigors of an NBA season. And the immense success of Durant and Horford, the next two picks in his draft class, leads to more scrutiny.

Now he's focused on moving past the disappointment. His comments show he knows the bust label is something that won't disappear, but he's not shying away from basketball, as he's now helping the Ohio State staff while trying to finish his college degree.