Greg Oden

Oden with the Trail Blazers
Free Agent
Center
Personal information
Born	(1988-01-22) January 22, 1988 (age 24) Buffalo, New York
Nationality	United States
High school	Lawrence North HS (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	285 lb (129 kg)
Career information
College	Ohio State (2006–2007)
NBA Draft	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Pro career	2007–present
Career history
2007–2012	Portland Trail Blazers
Career highlights and awards
Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (2007) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2006) Indiana Mr. Basketball (2006)

Gregory Wayne Oden, Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American basketball player at the center position who is currently a free agent. Oden played basketball for Ohio State University for one season, during which the team was the Big Ten Champion and the tournament runner-up in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

On June 28, 2007, Oden was selected first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He underwent microfracture surgery of the knee in September 2007, and missed the entire 2007–08 NBA season as a result. He recovered and made his NBA debut on opening night 2008. On March 15, 2012 he was waived from the Trail Blazers after a long history of injuries.^[1]

Oden is currently the "Team Oden" spokesperson for Oregon Mentors, promoting mentoring for kids.

Early years[link]

Oden was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved with his family to Terre Haute, Indiana at the age of nine.^[2] He attended Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute, where he first played interscholastic basketball. He then relocated with his mother and brother and attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Indiana which he led to three consecutive Indiana Class 4A basketball championships before graduating in 2006. He was named Parade's High School Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with Monta Ellis) and 2005 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first junior since LeBron James to be named such. He repeated as Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2006. Oden was named the 2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball. He was also on the McDonald's All-American Team and played in the All-American game.

College[link]

On June 29, 2005, Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley, Jr. announced that they would be attending Ohio State University starting with the 2006–07 season.

Oden had surgery on his right wrist on June 16, 2006, in Indianapolis to repair a ligament injury that occurred late in his senior high school season.^[3] As a result, he sat on the bench during the beginning of the 2006–07 season with Ohio State, during which his team was ranked as high as first before losing to North Carolina. He made his college debut on December 2, 2006, against Valparaiso, coming off the bench. He finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. In December of that year, Steve Kerr described him as a "once-in-a-decade player".^[4]

The Big Ten honored Oden with Player of the Week, along with Wisconsin's Alando Tucker, on January 29, 2007. In the previous week he had averaged 18 points and 11.5 rebounds.^[5] On March 6, 2007, Oden was named First Team All-Big Ten as well being voted the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.^[6] Oden fouled out for the first time in his college career against Xavier in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and was bothered by foul trouble throughout the tournament. In the Sweet Sixteen, Oden blocked a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds against Tennessee to preserve an 85–84 victory, and went on to lead Ohio State past Memphis and Georgetown to advance to the 2007 National Championship. In the title game, Oden scored 25 points, and had 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in a losing effort against the Florida Gators.

On March 26, 2007, Oden, along with Kevin Durant, Arron Afflalo, Alando Tucker, and Acie Law IV, was named to the Associated Press All-American Team. Oden and Durant were the first freshmen voted to the All-American First Team since 1990 and the third and fourth overall. Throughout his high-school and college career, Oden never lost a home game.^[7]

NBA career[link]

Portland Trail Blazers[link]

On April 20, 2007, Oden announced that he would be entering the 2007 NBA Draft. On June 28, 2007, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the #1 overall pick. Two of his Ohio State teammates were also chosen in the first round: Mike Conley, Jr. at #4, and Daequan Cook at #21.

To begin his Trail Blazers career, Oden chose the uniform number 52. On July 1, before his first NBA practice, Oden was signed to a contract which provided for two guaranteed seasons and team options for third and fourth seasons.

Oden at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con

On September 14, 2007, Oden had microfracture surgery on his ailing right knee. He missed the entire season.^[8] Oden's progress was recorded on the Trail Blazers' website and his blog.

Although picked first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden was classified as a rookie for the 2008–09 season because of the knee injury.^[9] Entering the 2008–09 season he was listed at 250 lb (110 kg), but according to Blazers' trainer Jay Jensen he weighed about 290 lb (130 kg) in July.^[10][11] Oden left his NBA debut with a foot injury after playing thirteen scoreless minutes against the Lakers.^[12] He returned on November 12, 2008 after missing two weeks, and scored his first NBA points in the first quarter against the Miami Heat. On January 19, 2009, Oden went for a career-high 24 points while also grabbing 15 rebounds in a 102–85 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.^[13] On February 13, 2009, he injured his left knee in a game against the Golden State Warriors, by bumping knees with opponent Corey Maggette, and missed three weeks due to a chipped knee cap.

On November 23, 2009, Oden matched his career-high for points in a game again with 24. He set a new career-high for rebounds in a game with 20 on December 1. On December 5, 2009, Oden injured his left knee in the first quarter of a game. He was taken off the court on a stretcher. Later, he underwent surgery for a fractured left patella and missed the rest of the season. That injury marked the second time Oden had missed major playing time due to injury.^[14]

On November 17, 2010, the team announced that Oden would have microfracture surgery on his left knee, ending his 2010–2011 season.^[15] The injury marked Oden's third NBA season cut short due to a knee injury.

On December 9, 2011, the Trail Blazers announced that Oden had suffered an unspecified "setback" that left them less optimistic about his ability to play in the 2011–2012 season. Rather than signing an 8.9-million-dollar qualifying offer, Oden and the team negotiated a different offer.^[16] On February 3, 2012, Oden underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.^[17] On February 20, 2012, Oden was scheduled for a procedure on his left knee similar to the procedure he underwent 17 days earlier. However, during the operation, further damage to the articular cartilage was discovered, and Oden underwent his third micro-fracture surgery.^[18] On March 15, 2012, Oden was waived by the Blazers to create room on the roster for trade acquisitions.^[19]

Playing 82 games in his entire career so far, he has effectively played one full NBA season over the span of five seasons (2007–2012). In May 2012, Oden announced his intention to sit out the 2012-13 season to focus on rehabbing his injuries. ^[20]

Personal life[link]

Greg Oden's younger brother Anthony played as an offensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks^[21] until he was dismissed from the program in 2011.^[22] Anthony Oden then transferred to Lamar University.^[23]

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

See also[link]

• 2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Greg Oden

• Greg Oden's Official Website
• Greg Oden at NBA.com
• Official Ohio State Buckeyes Bio
• ESPN Profile - Greg Oden
• Greg Oden's personal blog

Richard Jefferson

Jefferson during his second year tenure with the Spurs
No. 44 – Golden State Warriors
Small forward
Personal information
Born	(1980-06-21) June 21, 1980 (age 32) Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
High school	Moon Valley (Phoenix, AZ)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College	Arizona
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	2001–present
Career history
2001–2008	New Jersey Nets
2008–2009	Milwaukee Bucks
2009–2012	San Antonio Spurs
2012–present	Golden State Warriors
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2002)

Medal record
Men's Basketball
Competitor for  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze	2004 Athens	Team competition
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold	2003 San Juan	United States

Richard Allen Jefferson (born June 21, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is a 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. He was also a member of the USA men's national basketball team at the 2003 Tournament of the Americas and the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics.

Early years[link]

Jefferson was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. His parents were both Christian missionaries, and he moved around frequently growing up.

Career[link]

High school[link]

Jefferson attended Moon Valley High School in west Phoenix, Arizona, where he was an integral part of the varsity basketball team that won the 4A State Championship in 1998.

College[link]

University of Arizona[link]

He played college basketball at the University of Arizona, under Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson from 1998-2001. During his 84-game career (77 starts), Jefferson averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He capped his career by leading Arizona to the 2001 national championship game. Along the way, Jefferson was an all-Midwest Regional and all-Final Four selection.^[1] He was inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor during the 2012 Pacific-12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, March 10, 2012.^[2]

NBA career[link]

New Jersey Nets (2001-2008)[link]

Jefferson played seven seasons with the New Jersey Nets and was a key element of their back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship teams of 2002 and 2003. In addition, Jefferson was a member of the USA Men's Olympic basketball team in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Jefferson competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2003.

Jefferson began his career as a substitute small forward for Keith Van Horn and showed great defensive skills and all-around ability. Because of his potential, and Van Horn's conflict with power forward Kenyon Martin, the Nets traded Van Horn to the Philadelphia 76ers and trusted Jefferson as a starter. Jefferson blossomed in the role, becoming a good mid- and long-range shooter in addition to his slashing ability. On August 13, 2004, Jefferson signed a six-year, $78,000,000 contract extension with the Nets.

Jefferson missed the majority of the 2004–05 regular season after rupturing a ligament in his left wrist, an injury he claimed occurred when Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups purposely undercut him on a layup attempt during a game on December 27, 2004. Jefferson ended up missing 49 games, but returned to action for the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat. Prior to suffering the injury, he had missed only five games in his three NBA seasons. Jefferson had been enjoying his best professional season, averaging 22.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Through the 2005–06 season, Jefferson continued to perform at a high level and established himself as one of the NBA's most versatile players. On January 21, 2007, Jefferson's knee was injured once again and decided to have ankle surgery. After missing around six weeks, he was back in the lineup. His absence proved to be a major setback for the struggling Nets, who surged back into playoff contention once Jefferson returned.

In August 2007, Richard Jefferson pledged $3.5 million toward the University of Arizona's then-planned basketball and volleyball practice facility, which was eventually named in his honor. UA officials believe it is the largest donation ever from a former player.

He started the 2007–08 season in the best form of his NBA career. In the first 7 games, he averaged 26.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists, while also notching up 1.3 steals, 97.1% in free-throws and 49.1% in field-goals. On October 31, in a game against the Chicago Bulls, Jefferson injured his right wrist slightly, thumping his chest following a clutch three-pointer. The Nets went on to win the game in overtime. On December 4 he passed Kerry Kittles to become the Nets' second all-time leading scorer.

Milwaukee Bucks (2008-2009)[link]

On June 26, 2008 Jefferson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.^[3] He was not happy with the trade at first because he planned on being a Net until retirement. However, he later expressed enthusiasm about playing alongside Michael Redd.^[4]

San Antonio Spurs (2009-2012)[link]

On June 23, 2009, Richard Jefferson was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto.^[5] On June 30, 2010 Jefferson opted out of his contract with San Antonio and became an unrestricted free agent. On July 21, 2010, Jefferson re-signed with the Spurs.^[6]

Golden State Warriors (2012)[link]

On March 15, 2012, the Golden State Warriors traded the newly acquired Stephen Jackson for Jefferson, along with a conditional first-round pick.^[7]

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richard Jefferson

External links[link]

• Richard Jefferson's U.S. Olympic Team bio
• NBA profile
• ESPN profile