The comical Greg Oden
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by user Jakeblloyd
Here's what I love most about Greg Oden.
Not his size.
Not his strength.
Not his shot-blocking ability.
Not his ability to make 60 percent of his free throws with his left hand.
Not his ability to shoot baby hooks with both hands.
Not his intimidating process.
Not even his goatee.
No, I am enamored with the big man from Ohio State because of his wonderful, engaging, jocular personality.
He is one funny dude. Both in private and in front of the media. We've heard that Tim Duncan is funny when he's not in front of the tape recorder or camera, but we've never seen that side of him publicly.
Oden, on the other hand, doesn't attempt to put on a different countenance for the media. He just acts himself, and he is — can I say it again? — ONE FUNNY DUDE. Last night, in one of millions of interviews he's conducted over the past couple days, he joked about living with Mike Conley Jr., his running mate for several years, and having to clean up the bathroom after Conley.
And Oden isn't just funny when asked a question in jest. He's off-the-wall humorous. He'll throw jocularity into a serous question.
What makes Oden so special is that despite his amazing talent on the basketball court, his personality makes him appear like just another guy. He's not just a jock. He said that if he wasn't so tall, he'd have become a dentist. You know that Oden isn't going to let basketball consume his life. If he sustained a career-ending injury, he wouldn't let it ruin his life. He'd simply move on to other pursuits.
Maybe Oden — and his engaging personality — along with Kevin Durant, who is a humble, well-liked kid (just not quite as funny as Oden) can save the NBA after its terrible ratings this past postseason. Both players will be a lot of fun to watch on the court. But they'll also make their mark off the court.
The NBA, perhaps unfairly, has been dubbed as a league full of thugs by some of the general public. They see the Ron Artests and Rasheed Wallaces (even though Wallace is genuinely a good guy; he just loses his temper on the court), and they change the channel. But if Oden and Durant can become stars — which I think is very likely — consider who will comprise the NBA's young stars.
LeBron James. Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh. Yao Ming. Dwight Howard. Greg Oden. Kevin Durant.
All of the above are great players. But they're also good people. They've never been arrested. Never even been pulled over. They're charitable. They're engaging. And they're funny (James is co-hosting the ESPYs with Jimmy Kimmel).
With Oden and Durant joining the party, their marketability on and off the court just might save the NBA from becoming a joke.
