Infamous NBA Draft Bust Reveals Serious Struggles With Drugs And Alcohol: WATCH
Greg Oden used to have serious issues with drugs and alcohol.
Oden is viewed as one of the biggest busts in NBA history after being picked first overall in the 2007 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The retired center was a dominant player at Ohio State, but struggled with his health in the NBA. He only played in a total of 105 regular season NBA games and also had a short stint in China.
Greg Oden's NBA career was a complete bust after he struggled with health issues. He was the first pick in the 2007 draft. (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
Greg Oden struggled with alcohol and drugs.
His career didn't go the way anyone expected, and it turns out things were very rough behind the scenes when he was in Portland. The former Buckeyes star spoke with Johnny Manziel about needing to drink and do drugs daily just to fall asleep.
Oden told Manziel the following, in part, when talking about his issues:
"Technically, I had to pass out every night. I have a picture of my phone that I keep and I look at night. It was like Bud Light, a bottle of wine, Benadryl, Advil PMs, Tylenol PMs, my Vicodin, my Percocet. And the reason why I keep it is because I remember there was a time in Portland where I literally had to take every last one of those every night just to sleep three hours and I had to be at practice and this was my everyday. The older I got, the more I realized, this is your life. You can't blame anyone else. All you can do is be the best for you right now."
You can watch his full comments below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
Fortunately, Oden has taken some big steps forward in life since struggling in the NBA. He had been on Thad Matta's staff at Butler, and now serves as an advisor to athletes.
He also went back to Ohio State and graduated more than a decade after leaving for the NBA. It's always great to see someone turn around their life after dealing with serious struggles.
Needing to drink and do drugs daily in order to "pass out every night" is a sign of a serious problem. It's a sign that someone is in a bad place and needs help.
Oden says he accepted responsibility for his life, and that's all behind him now.
Greg Oden spoke with Johnny Manziel about his issues with drugs and alcohol. (Photo by Layne Murdoch jr/NBAE via Getty Images)
Hopefully, Oden talking about his substance abuse issues helps others who might be struggling. Get help if you are. Life is too short and too important to be consumed with substance abuse. Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com what you think of the situation.