Oden's first article in SI: "Way Ahead of Schedule"

[wastro]

A few nights after finally seeing Oden in his first NBA game, I got to thinking about what a long time it's been since Oden appeared on the scene. So I searched for Oden's name in the Sports Illustrated Vault. I wanted to read his first article in the magazine.

"Way Ahead of Schedule" was written for the Dec. 6, 2004 issue of Sports Illustrated.

In the nearly two years since, Greg Oden of Lawrence North High in Indianapolis has become the Next One. The next Kobe. The next KG. The next LeBron. The next Dwight Howard. The next precocious teenager being run through the well-oiled star-making machinery that turns potential into a blank check, no college experience necessary. Now a 16-year-old junior, Oden is seven feet tall, weighs 250 pounds and can no longer play video games because his hands are too big for the controller. He can take a step, jump up and touch a spot on the backboard 11 feet, 11 inches off the floor, and when he's running at full speed (which is often), he eats up a court the way an 18-wheeler swallows flat highway. Against type, he is an honor-roll student who is generous with his time and says he wants to go to college before getting rich in the NBA.

The rest of the article is just as glowing.

It's kind of cool to look back at Oden as a high schooler, especially since he's lived almost continuously in the media spotlight ever since.

Even with the surgery, I'm still positively ecstatic that we got Greg Oden.

 

[STOMP]

great to read about young Greg being discovered as a 4th grader. Imagine being a peer going up against him when he was a 6'4 sixth grader.

I also thought the ad on the right for an ebay auctioning of an autographed player card from his McDonald's All-American game with the current bid up to over 200$ was of note...

STOMP

 

[BenDavis503x]

Good post thanks!

 

[anonymous gambler]

Good find. Repped!

 

[Nate Dogg]

Excellent find! Thanks so much.
I love it when G.O. dunks and hangs on the rim for a second. The crowd goes nuts.