Greg Oden Wants to Be a Dentist

One of the refreshing things about Greg Oden, who will almost certainly be the first pick in the NBA draft no matter who wins the lottery, is that he doesn't seem particularly impressed with himself. He seems to view his basketball skills as just an accident of genetics, not a trait that makes him a superior human being.

And that is most evident when he talks about his NBA future, as he did in an ESPN interview this morning. Without fail, when he's asked whether being a professional basketball player is a lifelong dream, Oden explains that his actual dream is to become a dentist. That's what he wanted to be as a child, and his physical size is actually a hindrance toward that dream: His hands are so big that he'd have a hard time getting them in a patient's mouth.

Oden's devotion to fighting tooth decay has been on display for as long as he's been a public figure. "I like dentistry," Oden said at the Final Four. "I just went to the dentist. It was nice." "I wanted to be a dentist back in the day," he told Men's Fitness. "I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he said a dentist," his agent Mike Conley Sr. says.

I hope Oden plays 15 years or so in the NBA, until he's 60 35. And then I hope he goes back to school, gets the undergrad degree, and moves on to dental school. Yeah, his hands are bigger than most, but a man as devoted to teeth as Oden is shouldn't miss his true calling in life.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-20-2007 @ 12:03PM

jay said...

Greg Oden will be the next LaRue Mrtin...worthless 1st pick

5-20-2007 @ 12:50PM

Richard said...

I admire a person, sports player or not, who has a dream and a sense of the bigger picture. Regardless what he does, he will be good at whatever he does. Like the kid/doctor in the Field of Dreams. Oden may be tall but his head is not in the clouds. He will not allow anyone like the first person to comment, to change is outlook.

5-20-2007 @ 1:48PM

newt111 said...

jay-I FEEL SORRY THAT YOU ARE A HATEFULL SCUB BAG-I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THE KID-BUT I WISH HIM WELL IN WHATEVER HE DOES-WATCHING HIM AGAINST MY GATORS SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME-HE IS A TALENT-UNLIKE YOUR SORRY SELF-WAKE UP AND SEE THE SUNSHINE BOY!

5-20-2007 @ 2:20PM

val said...

Let me say first of all that it is about time that we have a person that believes that Basketball is not the end all and that he promotes Healthy Teeth. Much luck for this young man in his future.

5-20-2007 @ 2:27PM

Gregory Thomas said...

Hey Jay,

Get a life, it seems that Oden has one and will have one. Quit worrying about someone's worth on a basketball court and see it as a sport, not life.

5-20-2007 @ 3:58PM

It is all PR from his agent

5-20-2007 @ 4:00PM

ray said...

its cute that he wants to be a dentist, but it would be better if he wanted to be the next bill russell.

5-20-2007 @ 4:28PM

Jeff B. said...

Jay, you are a bitter little man.

5-20-2007 @ 4:46PM

john said...

jay you are a real piece of junk! DON'T BE A HATER!get a life and when someone has talent and dreams wish them the best and hope that the make a difference.i'm not an OSU fan but i do appreciate talent and most of all good kids with class. if you don't like osu you better learn to like them, they have two great classes coming in the next two years. most of all get some class and help a kid out today. unlv rebel fan

5-20-2007 @ 7:02PM

cameron said...

i live in indianapolis and have met oden and connelly a few times had a convo with oden each time and he really does want to be a dentist always has,so its not PR its him answering a question lol .and concerning him being just hype only time will tell but i have a feeling hes gonna make an impact fast. i dont know where all this hostiliaty towards him comes from ?hes very soft spoken hes not egotistical so my only conclusion is pure envy.
-1-
cameron

5-20-2007 @ 8:23PM

I dont mind OSU. I dont think that Oden isn't a good kid. He just is not an NBA player. You guys have been lsitening to too much Dick Vitale.

5-20-2007 @ 8:47PM

ron said...

he should stay in college and become a better player. he's not ready for the NBA.

5-20-2007 @ 9:03PM

dcm8 said...

As an African-American Medical student,I am so proud of Greg Oden. In a world where most people in his postion could not think past the BMW dealership or bank he wants to be a dentist!

Greg, if you are reading this please do something that you have the chance to do that no one has done in over a hundred years. Help start a dental school at a HBCU. Many of the schools could use the influx of new students, they just don't have the intiative or the enlightenment that you have. Please read the story of Deamonte Driver and understand how you can help those less fortunate.

5-20-2007 @ 10:36PM

Ryan Ferguson said...

As the FanHouse's most outspoken Gator fan -- as well as one who despises everything that can be despised about Ohio State -- I can say without reservation that I have been impressed by every facet of Greg Oden. He's a classy kid: humble, gracious, and never full of himself. I love this bit about his interest in the dentistry profession. That he's also a world-class basketball talent makes him one heck of an interesting guy. I wish him all the success in the world, and I expect he'll have it. Go Greg!

5-20-2007 @ 9:53PM

Gary said...

hey Jay, your weak attempt to deminish the hopes and aspirations of a afro american lacked teeth (pardon
the pun)dude stop the hating!!!!!!

5-21-2007 @ 1:16AM

bugwithhugesnout said...

Greg Oden is full of bull.
If he was serious about becoming a dentist, he would
have stayed in college for 4 years.
No one goes back to college for 3 more years, and then goes to dentistry school for 4 years, and then
does 2-4 years of residency, once they've made 100-300 million dollars playing pro basketball and getting endoresements.
Greg Oden is full of it.
He was my favorite college player, but I'm a little tired of hearing his academic promises.
Leaving college after one year just makes him like Chris Washburn academically at this point.

5-21-2007 @ 11:03AM

I am not diminishing the hopes of an african-american, just as I would not diminsh the hopes of an Italian American, Polish American or any other American. The only thing I said is that Greg Oden is not ready for the NBA and will a first draft pick flop....just like LaRue Matin, if you even know who he is or actually was.

5-21-2007 @ 9:40PM

wrong said...

Keep him out of Boston. We don't deserve him.

5-21-2007 @ 11:27PM

Mike said...

Jay. You must be from Portland. Remember the chant "2 for LaRue" whenever he scored - which of course, wasn't very often. As for Oden, give the man a break. He just might be the next Bill Russell. Who knows.

6-26-2007 @ 1:37PM

babyblue said...

I can't believe that people actually are believing that this guy is 19 yrs. old!!! Who are you kidding? He looks like he's been pulling the wool over your eyes by claiming to be that young. I feel that an investigation should be done to prove his age. He looks around 40+ years old!!