Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden’s NBA career was derailed by injuries, but he did spend time on one of the most famous teams in recent history.
In the 2013-14 season, Oden played for the Miami Heat, who had their Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Miami went to four straight NBA Finals with that trio, and Oden played in 23 regular-season games and three playoff games during Miami’s 2013-14 season.
Oden recently shared his favorite story of being teammates with James, showing love to the now-Los Angeles Lakers star for checking up on him.
“I remember this story, and I always say, I love LeBron for this,” Oden said. “I said I would never be able to hate him for this. So, we in D.C. The Heatles, they got a big old section, everybody in there, everybody looking. I’m like, man, I just kinda ducked off to the regular bar in the corner, chilling by myself, got my little shot.
“Next thing I know, the f—— seas just part. Motherf—– come over there, I see team security, that motherf—– Bron said, ‘G.O., you good?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m straight.’ He said, ‘Cool. Aight.'”
Oden, laughing, indicated that James took a shot, threw up a peace sign and then left.
“I said, ‘Ahh, I like this motherf—– right here, man,’” Oden said. “That’s my favorite Bron story. I thought that was the coolest thing and that he actually came and checked on me.”
It’s great to see that James was invested in making sure that his teammate was good, even though he wasn’t choosing to spend time with the rest of the squad. Oden clearly appreciated the gesture, and it just goes to show that James prioritizes having relationships with his teammates.
After all, he recently revealed the thought process behind his handshakes with his teammates, and he still remembers some from way earlier in his career.
While Oden’s NBA career didn’t pan out, the big man did make six starts in his 23 games for the Heat in the 2013-14 season, averaging 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 9.2 minutes per game.
James didn’t stay in Miami beyond the 2013-14 season, as he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2014-15 season and ended up winning his third title of his career in Cleveland in 2016.
