Greg Oden Net Worth

What Is Greg Oden's Net Worth and Salary?

Greg Oden is an American former professional basketball player who has a net worth of $14 million. Greg Oden was the #1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and entered the league as one of the most highly regarded center prospects in years. Unfortunately, a succession of serious knee injuries prevented him from approaching his potential.

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Oden with the first pick in the 2007 draft, one spot ahead of Kevin Durant. Oden ultimately appeared in just 105 regular-season NBA games between Portland and the Miami Heat. Despite his abbreviated career, his guaranteed contracts allowed him to earn more than $24 million in NBA salary, plus several million dollars from endorsement deals.

After basketball, Oden returned to Ohio State to complete his college degree and moved into coaching and player development. He has also become an advocate for financial literacy among athletes, using lessons from his own experience to help younger players prepare for life during and after professional sports.

Early Life

Greg Oden was born on January 22, 1988, in Buffalo, New York. His family moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, when he was nine, and he later relocated to Indianapolis with his mother and brother.

At Lawrence North High School, Oden developed into one of the country's most dominant young basketball players. Alongside future NBA guard Mike Conley Jr., he helped Lawrence North win three consecutive Indiana Class 4A state championships. Oden was named Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006 and Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2006.

Oden enrolled at Ohio State University for the 2006-07 season. A wrist injury delayed his college debut, but once healthy, he immediately established himself as an elite defender and interior scorer. He averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game while helping Ohio State reach the 2007 NCAA championship game.

He was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, and became a consensus second-team All-American. After one season at Ohio State, he declared for the NBA Draft.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Oden #1 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. At the time, choosing Oden over Durant was not viewed as the shocking decision that it would later become in hindsight. Oden was considered a potentially franchise-changing center with the size, athleticism, and defensive ability to anchor a contender for years.

His NBA career encountered trouble almost immediately.

In September 2007, Oden underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee, forcing him to miss his entire rookie season. He finally made his NBA debut during the 2008-09 season but continued dealing with injuries.

Oden showed flashes of the talent that had made him the top pick. In January 2009, he recorded a career-high 24 points and 15 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks. The following season, he matched his career high with 24 points in one game and recorded 20 rebounds in another.

Then came another devastating injury. In December 2009, Oden fractured his left kneecap during a game and missed the remainder of the season. He later underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee and missed the entire 2010-11 season.

Further setbacks and additional surgeries followed. Portland ultimately waived Oden in March 2012.

Miami Heat and China

After sitting out the 2012-13 NBA season to rehabilitate his knees, Oden attempted a comeback with the Miami Heat.

He appeared in 23 regular-season games during the 2013-14 season, starting six. Miami, led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, reached the NBA Finals before losing to the San Antonio Spurs.

It proved to be Oden's final NBA season.

In 2015, he made one more attempt at professional basketball by signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. He left the team during the season and eventually acknowledged that his playing career was over.

Career Earnings and Endorsements

Greg Oden earned $24.07 million in NBA salary despite appearing in only 105 regular-season games.

His income extended beyond basketball salary. Before playing his first NBA game, Oden signed a three-year endorsement agreement with trading card company Topps worth at least $3 million. He also signed a multiyear shoe and apparel contract with Nike and had additional endorsement income during the early years of his career.

That means Oden's total career earnings were comfortably above his $24 million in NBA salary.

Years later, Oden spoke candidly about the financial side of his abbreviated career. He has acknowledged that taxes, fees, spending, and the premature end of his playing career substantially reduced what he actually kept. At the same time, he appears to have preserved enough of his earnings to remain financially comfortable.

In a later interview, Oden summed up his attitude toward money by saying he would obviously love to have "$100,000,000 in the bank account," but that what he has is enough. He pointed to his home, wife, daughter, and life outside basketball as the things that now matter most to him.

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Life After Basketball

The end of Oden's playing career forced him to confront an identity that had revolved around basketball since childhood.

He later returned to Ohio State, working with the basketball program while finishing his education. In 2019, he earned a bachelor's degree in sport industry. He subsequently served as a graduate assistant at Ohio State before joining former Buckeyes coach Thad Matta at Butler University in 2022.

Oden initially served as Butler's director of basketball operations and later became an assistant coach. He left Butler in 2024 to focus on business interests outside coaching.

One of Oden's primary post-basketball pursuits has been financial education. He works with Edyoucore Sports & Entertainment, where he serves as Director of Player Development and teaches financial literacy to amateur and professional athletes.

Oden has said that losing basketball forced him to figure out who he was without the sport. He eventually realized that he enjoyed mentoring, talking with younger athletes, and helping other people avoid mistakes. He has also pursued public speaking, describing his story not simply as a basketball story but as a broader story about life, failure, identity, and finding purpose after losing the thing that once defined him.

Personal Life

In August 2014, Oden was arrested following a domestic violence incident involving a former girlfriend. He ultimately pleaded guilty to battery with minor bodily injury, while additional charges were dismissed.

Oden and Sabrina Williams welcomed their daughter, Londyn, in 2016. Greg and Sabrina married in Maui, Hawaii, in September 2017.

Real Estate

In 2017, Greg purchased a home in Dublin, Ohio, for $800,000. The approximately 5,300-square-foot property has four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and one half-bathroom.

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