“I’m just gonna be who I am, who God made me, what my mom taught me to be.”
― Greg Oden
“Marking success, for me, is walking onto a court and just walking off healthy, no matter if it is one minute or two minutes.”
― Greg Oden
“It’s homework. It sucks.”
― Greg Oden
“There’s been so many times when I’ve heard people not pulling for me. So I just play and try not to think about it.”
― Greg Oden
“When my knee feels good, I’m always going to feel I can do more.”
― Greg Oden
“I just like to hang out with friends.”
― Greg Oden
“Is there any proof that I’m a bust? All there is proof of is that I have bad luck with injuries.”
― Greg Oden
“I can be fine and not smile.”
― Greg Oden
“For starters, Portland isn’t a great city to live in if you’re a young, African American male with a lot of money. But that’s especially true if you don’t have anybody to guide you.”
― Greg Oden
“Fundamentals – everybody has that. I definitely have that.”
― Greg Oden
“I’ve been strong my whole entire life.”
― Greg Oden
“For a lot of guys in this league, it’s confidence – once they play a year or two, they start to figure it out.”
― Greg Oden
“I’m not really worried about individual stats.”
― Greg Oden
“It’s a game. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself that you can’t have fun.”
― Greg Oden
“I’ve played against LaMarcus Aldridge, and he kills me every time.”
― Greg Oden
“My dream is to be able to play basketball, and if I can go out there and do it, run up and down, and come off the court again healthy, that’s goal one.”
― Greg Oden
“I’ll be remembered as the biggest bust in NBA history. But I can’t do nothing about that.”
― Greg Oden
“Growing up in Terre Haute, Indiana, there’s not a whole lot to do. What I did was I just went to the basketball court at the Boys & Girls Club and literally stayed there all day until my mom got off of work.”
― Greg Oden
“Just basketball in general in Indiana is just huge, so that’s everybody’s getaway. That’s our main thing, to think about the history. Obviously, Larry Bird is a very, very big part of that.”
― Greg Oden
“My favorite player, growing up, was David Robinson. He was really the first person that I actually knew about and actually watched.”
― Greg Oden
“I started to play in the fourth grade and didn’t score for, like, a whole year.”
― Greg Oden
“I lived in Indiana, and Reggie Miller was everywhere.”
― Greg Oden
“Everybody would love to be able to be great and make it to the NBA All-Star Game as a rookie. I mean, that is everybody’s goal.”
― Greg Oden
“I don’t want to get dunked on too much, and I want to make it to the playoffs.”
― Greg Oden
“I wouldn’t say I regret anything. I would say I just wish I did things better.”
― Greg Oden
“I’m just trying to better myself and work on my degree and set something up for the future of my family.”
― Greg Oden
“Since I’ve been in fourth grade, all I’ve known was basketball.”
― Greg Oden
“I’m just trying to work on my game and get better. That’s all I can do. Keep working hard, keep trying.”
― Greg Oden
“When I get 100 percent, and I get to improve on the court, I feel I can be an All-Star.”
― Greg Oden
“When I get out there 100 percent, everybody will see what kind of player I am.”
― Greg Oden
“When you don’t play hard enough, you don’t win.”
― Greg Oden
“When I was in Portland, there were some dark times for me.”
― Greg Oden
“I’ve got an old body.”
― Greg Oden
“I’ve got to warm up to warm up and then play. I understand that now.”
― Greg Oden
“I’m going to try to jump over people, and I’m going to try to run all day. If my body lets me, I’ll do it.”
― Greg Oden
“It wasn’t like I was clinically depressed, but I was so down. I think I was probably depressed. Nothing went my way since college, and I put my head down and kind of pitied myself. That wasn’t the right way to go.”
― Greg Oden
“All I know is what I’ve lived through, so this is what I know.”
― Greg Oden
“If you’re out there, and you can’t do it, that makes you a bust. Well, I was never really out there. I was never Greg Oden in the NBA.”
― Greg Oden
“I don’t think I was that bad when I was on the court. I felt like it could have just got better if I had more time on there.”
― Greg Oden
“Don’t get me wrong: if I was healthy, I would love to continue playing, but I’m not healthy.”
― Greg Oden
“I wanted to be a dentist when I was younger. But then I started to get big and realized that my hands were so big, I’d kind of scare the little kids away.”
― Greg Oden
“I just realized that basketball and going to the NBA was a possibility, and that’s something that I want to use to better my family and possibly help the world if I can.”
― Greg Oden
“When I was out there on the floor, I think I did pretty good for myself… I’ve never really had enough time to play and actually improve.”
― Greg Oden
“I know I’m one of the biggest busts in NBA history, and I know it will only get worse as Kevin Durant continues doing big things.”
― Greg Oden
“It’s frustrating that my body can’t do what my mind wants it to do sometimes. But worrying or complaining about it isn’t going to fix anything.”
― Greg Oden
“That’s the worst part about all of the injuries and the criticism. It would be one thing if I had been healthy for five years and just sucked when I was on the court. But I can’t prove what I can do because I can’t stay healthy. Not having control over the situation makes it tough.”
― Greg Oden
“I could’ve signed with a team after Portland cut me and just sat on the bench and collected paychecks, but that’s not my style. That just seems really unethical. Besides, money doesn’t matter to me. I’ve got enough money.”
― Greg Oden
“My cousin got wrapped up in the NBA lifestyle and threw parties at my house all the time. So I got wrapped up in it, too.”
― Greg Oden
“When a girl sends me 100 pictures, I have to send something back every now and then.”
― Greg Oden
“I know we’re going to be connected for a long time, Kevin Durant and Greg Oden. He’s a really, really good player. I’m a pretty decent player. So I hope things work out.”
― Greg Oden
“In the media, from the little bit that I have read… there’s not a lot of pity. There are some people, usually older people who have been around or people who really know basketball. Other people in the media are usually like, ‘Well, stop getting injured.’ You know, like I can control it.”
― Greg Oden
“I’ve been watching ‘Two and a Half Men.’ That’s my number one. Then ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘90210.’”
― Greg Oden
“My mental state is perfectly fine.”
― Greg Oden
“I know my knee’s going to heal. I know it’s going to get back. I just don’t know when.”
― Greg Oden
“I want an Ohio State degree, and not all of their classes are online, so it might have to be after I retire.”
― Greg Oden
“I’m from the inner city of Buffalo.”
― Greg Oden
“My mom didn’t have a lot of money.”
― Greg Oden
“You gotta be nice. The way I look at it, why not be a nice guy to people?”
― Greg Oden
“I’ll know that when I play a good game, a decent game, and I know when I can play a lot better and aggressive, when I can take over a game myself.”
― Greg Oden
“I know it’s a team game, but, you know, the great ones can do that – have their team involved and take over a game.”
― Greg Oden
“I don’t want to be one of those guys that people just talk about. I’m not good with people talking about me. I’d rather be the guy that just goes out and proves himself, and there’s nothing left to say.”
― Greg Oden
“I don’t want to be one of those guys who is just there. I want to be a guy that’s on a team that makes it and be an All-Star and has a chance to always win an NBA championship.”
― Greg Oden
“Me being in shape allows me to be more mobile and do better things, make bigger plays.”
― Greg Oden
“I wish I was always photogenic.”
― Greg Oden
“I do like to go bowling a lot.”
― Greg Oden
“Everyone else has days when they don’t want to smile, when you just want to come in and be regular.”
― Greg Oden
“I hear it each day. If I’m not smiling, if I don’t have the biggest grin on my face, then it’s like I’m always down.”
― Greg Oden
“There’s more to life than basketball, and at some point, it’s going to end anyway.”
― Greg Oden
“I was a professional rehab/workout guy for four years. I wasn’t even a basketball player – just a guy who got paid to exercise.”
― Greg Oden
“It doesn’t say how much you played on your championship ring.”
― Greg Oden
“Like I would love to be a ladies man, but it’s like… uh, you’re seven feet tall, and you need to shave!”
― Greg Oden
“I Bust-A-Move! Old-school style too: like, I’ll bust a Robot out in a second.”
― Greg Oden
“Me and my brother used to love when my dad walked in with a pizza. We used to watch Nickelodeon every Saturday night. That was, like, the greatest time ever.”
― Greg Oden
“I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t suck to see Durant doing so well.”
― Greg Oden
“When you’re on the court with guys that know basketball, it’s a universal language for us.”
― Greg Oden
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