Greg Oden revealed that he did not expect to be selected first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft ahead of Kevin Durant and actually wanted to return to Ohio State for another season.
Oden discussed the decision on the Road Trippin’ Show, explaining that he initially hoped to remain in college despite being projected as one of the top selections.
“I actually wanted to go back to college, but my coach actually laughed in my face when I told him that I wanted to come back,” Oden said.
“He said, ‘This dude, you’re going to be a top-two pick. Like, you have to go.’ He said he would do me a disservice if he let me come back to college.”
Oden had spent the 2006-07 season at Ohio State, averaging 15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 26 games. He shot 61.8% from the field while helping the Buckeyes reach the national championship game.
Durant, meanwhile, played his lone college season at Texas and averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 35 games. He shot 47.3% from the field and 40.7% from three-point range.
The Trail Blazers ultimately selected Oden with the No. 1 pick, while Durant went second overall to the Seattle SuperSonics. The two players entered the NBA amid enormous expectations, but their careers took very different paths.
Oden’s professional career was severely affected by injuries. He played 61 games as a rookie during the 2008-09 season, averaging 8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game.
He appeared in only 21 games the following season before missing the next three campaigns. Oden eventually returned to the NBA with the Miami Heat in 2013-14, playing 23 games and averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds.
He later continued his playing career overseas, averaging 13.5 points and 12.1 rebounds in 19 games for the Jiangsu Dragons in China during the 2015-16 season.
