Greg Oden’s NBA career is often remembered as one of the biggest ‘what if’ stories in basketball history. The former No. 1 overall pick entered the league with enormous expectations, but injuries, pain, and personal struggles quickly turned his journey into a nightmare.
During a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Oden opened up about the depths of his addiction issues and the extreme measures he took simply to get through each day.
When asked when he realized self-medication and coping mechanisms were becoming a serious problem, Oden revealed just how far things had spiraled.
“At one point I became bulimic. To lose weight, I would literally go to a steakhouse and throw up every time I ate something. I did that for about eight months. I don’t know if you remember, but they put a lot of muscle on me so I could guard guys like Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming. But I couldn’t move at that size. I had to downsize. I didn’t know how else to do it.”
“This picture had Advil PM, Benadryl, Tylenol PM, ZzzQuil, and a beer. What’s not in the picture is the Percocet and Vicodin I was taking every night just to sleep four hours. And not to mention, I would go out and party that night too. When I say every night, I mean every night. I had to take all of those things just to sleep four hours.”
The list of substances Oden relied upon paints a troubling picture. Advil PM combines ibuprofen with a sleep-inducing antihistamine. Benadryl is an allergy medication commonly used because it causes drowsiness. Tylenol PM combines pain relief with a sleep aid. ZzzQuil is an over-the-counter nighttime sleep medication. Percocet and Vicodin are prescription opioid painkillers that carry significant addiction risks and are often prescribed after major injuries or surgeries.
Oden admitted he was taking all of them together every night.
The heartbreaking reality is that Oden’s body never gave him a fair chance. Before even playing an NBA game, he underwent microfracture knee surgery. Throughout his career, he suffered multiple knee injuries, fractures, and setbacks that limited him to just 105 NBA games across seven seasons.
Despite the injuries, Oden showed flashes of the dominant player many expected him to become. For his career, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 57.4% from the field.
His best season came in 2008-09 when he averaged 8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. In 2009-10, he improved further, averaging 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks before another devastating knee injury ended his season.
Before the NBA, Oden was one of the most decorated prospects in basketball history. He led Ohio State to the NCAA Championship Game, earned First Team All-American honors, was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and entered the 2007 NBA Draft as one of the most hyped centers of his generation.
Today, Oden’s story serves as a reminder of the mental and physical toll professional sports can take. His honesty about addiction, depression, eating disorders, pain medication, and isolation offers a powerful look at the challenges many athletes face behind closed doors, even when the public sees only fame and success.
