C Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)

[Buckskin86]

Greg Oden Rocks the Mohawk
Posted Feb 22nd 2008 6:38PM by Cheryl Thompson

Greg Oden Rocks the Mohawk - Black Voices Blogs

Weight room competition perks up Oden

Friday, February 22, 2008
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Greg Oden decided not to attend All-Star Weekend because just watching struck him as depressing.

But the injured Number One draft pick has been keeping up with his rehab and competing with teammate Sergio Rodriguez for a team record -- albeit an unofficial one.

Weight room competition perks up Oden | Sports | kgw.com | News for Oregon and SW Washington

[BUCKYLE]

I can't wait to watch the NBA next year.

[gefootball10]

Originally Posted by BUCKYLE

I can't wait to watch the NBA next year.

agreed, im pretty sure memphis and portland are my favorite nba teams now.

[muffler dragon]

Originally Posted by gefootball10

agreed, im pretty sure memphis and portland are my favorite nba teams now.

I can understand Portland because of Oden; but I'd be mourning for Conley at Memphis. They're going to suck for a very long time.

[Buckskin86]

Obama calls Oden
Posted by The Oregonian February 26, 2008

The Blazers' Greg Oden reports on his blog that he recently got a call from Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

What I got from talking to him is that he is a real sports fan and he knew about the Blazers. He said that when I come back Brandon, LaMarcus and I will be a force next year. He also asked me about my knee, and he said he wasn't feeling my mohawk - lol.

Oden also reports that Obama will get his vote. The Ohio primary is a week away, and as a star at Ohio State last season, Oden still plays big in that state.

Obama calls Oden - OregonLive.com: Sports Updates from The Oregonian

Oden tosses support behind Obama
Injured Blazers center says Obama is 'a real person'
Posted: Tuesday February 26, 2008

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Injured Trail Blazers center Greg Oden writes on his blog that he's going to vote for Barack Obama, saying he had spoken recently to the Democratic presidential hopeful.

The two didn't talk politics, Oden wrote. Instead they discussed the Trail Blazers and Oden's hair. The 7-footer has a new Mohawk haircut.

SI.com - NBA - Blazers center Oden tosses support behind Obama - Tuesday February 26, 2008 8:09PM

[BuckeyeMafia]

Love the Mohawk, and his political stand.

He's a young athlete that has some wits to him, and I absolutely love what is happening here.

[vioravis]

A nice interview with Greg Oden:

Greg Oden Alone With Rome - ESPN Video

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

ODEN GETS POLITICAL: With spare time on his hands while sitting out this season, injured rookie Greg Oden has entered the political sphere.
Oden came out in support of Barack Obama on his blog, after a brief telephone conversation and some research on the Democratic presidential hopeful.
The Obama campaign, in turn, said Oden would work with the campaign to reach out to young voters in Ohio, where he played college basketball, Indiana, where he attended high school, and Oregon.
Just a few days after his endorsement of Obama, Oden introduced first lady Laura Bush at a Portland youth conference - proving he's strictly bipartisan when it comes to kids.

Continued.....

[Dryden]

Good for Greg. Its easy to see how young people are uninterested in politics, but when you get to be as old as Greg Oden is, you really become interested in politics knowing that you're going to need that Social Security, National Health Care, and affordable prescription medication tomorrow.

No? Are we done with the Greg Oden looks like he's 47 jokes?

[Buckskin86]

Oden's knee still center of attention
The media spotlight is on the No. 1 draft pick but the team is focused on his rehabilitation
Sunday, March 02, 2008
JOE FREEMAN
The Oregonian Staff

He chatted with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. He introduced First Lady Laura Bush at a Helping America's Youth conference. And, yeah, there also was the haircut.

But through all the February off-court "news making" buzz surrounding Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, there was an even greater development in the rehabilitation of the most talked about and scrutinized right knee in Portland.

Oden last month started running for the first time since undergoing microfracture knee surgery in September, an important step in the process that will allow the No. 1 draft pick to return to basketball. The Blazers are remaining patient and cautious with the 7-foot center's rehab schedule, so his running is limited to 10 "down-and-backs" on the team's practice court at a jogging pace, once a week.

"I'm right on schedule," Oden said. "Things feel pretty good. I'm just trying to remain patient."

Jensen said he still would like Oden to drop some weight -- he has gained roughly 30 pounds of muscle during rehab and weighs about 293 pounds -- but there remains plenty of time. The Blazers would like Oden's playing weight to be 280 pounds.

OregonLive.com: Everything Oregon

[Buckskin86]

It's nice to see an athlete like Oden speaking out on politics
Michael Wilbon

It's not as if Greg Oden declared he was refusing induction into the U.S. Army or staging a sit-in or starting a boycott.

But in these days of political and social inactivity among America's richest and most famous athletes, Oden's conversation with and subsequent public endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president qualifies as an eye-opener.
Once upon a time it wouldn't have been. In the 1960s and '70s, the richest and most famous athletes didn't just protest or take on causes that often were controversial; they led the way. That largely changed as even rank-and-file team sport athletes began making enough money to identify more with the ruling class than the oppressed.

It's nice to see an athlete like Oden speaking out on politics | IndyStar.com

[Best Buckeye]

Sounds like the guy is going to vote for whoever Oden and maybe a few others tell him to. Not the way to do it ....

[sandgk]

Originally Posted by Best Buckeye

Sounds like the guy is going to vote for whoever Oden and maybe a few others tell him to. Not the way to do it ....

There was nothing in that article that conveyed the sense that Wilbon's vote is swayed by what Oden has said or written ...

I've defended Jordan's right and Woods' right to keep their thoughts private instead of giving in to group pressure and taking a stand simply to satisfy others' agendas. And I will continue to defend their right to act privately.
Even so, I'm thrilled with Oden's decision to talk openly and write in his blog about his conversation with Obama. Had he endorsed Sens. John McCain or Hillary Rodham Clinton, I'd have felt the same way. What's important about Oden's involvement is he understands and articulates the importance of people 18 to 25 actually voting.

He is giving Oden a pat on the back for being engaged in the political process. Simple as that.

[BB73]

Originally Posted by Best Buckeye

Sounds like the guy is going to vote for whoever Oden and maybe a few others tell him to. Not the way to do it ....

I'm sure a guy nearing 50, who has been on national TV almost every day for the past 6 years, and has spent most of his adult life in Washington, D.C., is going to let the statements of a young athlete (or a few of them) decide his presidental vote. Especially when he states in the article that he'd feel the same way about Oden if he had endorsed McCain or Clinton.

[ORD_Buckeye]

Look, I think that Oden is a great guy on and off the court, and he's supporting my chosen candidate. I also applaud him for becoming engaged politically.

That being said, does anyone find it just a little bizarre that a 19 year old basketball player with less than one year of college under his belt is having his presidential "endorsement" made into a national news story. It's great that Oden is paying attention to political issues, but why on earth would anyone care what his beliefs are or base their own votes upon his "endorsement."

This is more of a knock on this country's shallow celebrity obsessed culture than on Oden.