The sad tale of Greg Oden's lost career took another twist when the former No. 1 overall pick was arrested on battery charges on Thursday in Lawrence, Indianapolis. A close friend of the victim said Oden "punched her in the face," according to reports.
In the police report regarding this incident cops say Oden was apologetic at the scene and told them "I was wrong, and I know what has to happen."
The police report also said the officers "observed blood, swelling to the nose, lacerations to the forehead and nose area of the victim's face.
The victim's friend reportedly had to encourage the victim to open up to police about the incident, telling her "There isn't that much love in the world. You need to tell that he punched you in the face." The assault took place in a home belonging to Oden's mother, and officers also "observed blood on the sofa and floor in the sitting area. (They) observed (blood) on the living room carpet (and) dirt from a flower pot that was knocked over."
Oden was the No. 1 pick 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers, and his career began in promising fashion. In 61 games in his rookie season Oden averaged 8.9 points and seven rebounds per game, in addition to serving as a monstrous defensive presence in the paint.
His season was shortened by injury, although he came back the following year looking even better. In his sophomore campaign Oden put up 11.8 points per game with 8.5 rebounds, and his blocked shot average rose to 2.3 a night. Unfortunately, he sustained a second major knee injury requiring microfracture surgery that forced him to miss the next three seasons.
Oden returned to the NBA this past year with the Miami Heat, but only played in 23 games and made a meager impact. He averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in just 9.2 minutes per game and failed to affect the postseason at all.
Oden is now a free agent, and it is unclear how this incident will affect teams' willingness to take a shot on him.
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