Greg Oden's untold story: Ohio State legend, drafted No. 1 before Kevin Durant, called a NBA Bust, the what-ifs, battling injuries, addiction, depression, misconceptions, the Miami Heat Finals run & life after basketball.
6/2/20261 hr 8 min
"My story isn't a basketball story, it's a life story." Greg Oden On this episode of The Pivot Podcast, we sit down with former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Greg Oden for one of the most honest and powerful conversations of his life. For years, Greg Oden's name has been tied to one word: "bust." Drafted ahead of future MVP and NBA champion Kevin Durant in 2007, Oden became the subject of endless debates about what could have been. But as Durant himself has said, Greg was never truly given a chance—his career was derailed by injuries before the basketball world ever got to see what he could become. In this raw and revealing conversation, Greg reflects on the pressure of being the No. 1 pick, the weight of expectations, and the frustration of seeing his legacy defined by circumstances beyond his control. From his rise as a high school phenom and Ohio State star to the devastating injuries that robbed him of years on the court, Greg shares the emotional and physical battles that shaped his journey. Parts of this conversation bare all as Greg's transparency truly brings his pain and passion to the forefront. He opens up about his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, the criticism and scrutiny that followed him throughout his career, and what it was like earning a second chance with the Miami Heat and reaching the NBA Finals alongside some of the game's biggest names from Lebron James to Dwayne. Wade to Chris Bosh. Beyond basketball, Greg discusses his struggles with mental health, depression, addiction, self-worth, and the challenges of rebuilding his life after the game. He speaks candidly about regrets, losing loved ones, what ifs , public perception, and the process of finding peace with a career that never unfolded the way anyone expected. This episode isn't about what Greg Oden wasn't. It's about who he is, what he endured, and how he found the strength to keep moving forward when the world had already written his story for him. Greg's new chapter is leading as a dedicated father, mentor, college advisor and also filmmaker, with his feature film "Bust" getting ready to release. A powerful conversation about resilience, perspective, redemption, and one of basketball's greatest "what ifs." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Ryan Clark· Host0:27
There are some people the world labels before they even get a chance to live, the next great one, can't miss, franchise changer. Greg Oden had all of those labels early. He was the best high school player in the country, a dominant force for a year at Ohio State, and the number one draft pick ahead of Kevin Durant. And just like that, expectations became impossible, because they'll celebrate you quick, but in sports, they'll judge you even quicker. And so today, we sit down with Greg for one of the most honest conversations that we've had. It's about basketball, but more so about life. We talk about the pressures of carrying the hopes of an entire franchise, the injuries that robbed him of the game that he loved, and that label, bust, how one word can bury a human being underneath hurt and disappointment and public criticism. But we go even deeper than that. Greg opens up about losing his best friend Travis to alcoholism, the painkillers, the partying, trying to escape mentally while his career