Greg Oden 'makes someone's day' – some 200 kids and mentors

Blazer rookie remembers those who helped him as a youth

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, Dec 20, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

COURTESY OF PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

During a charity event Saturday in Southeast Portland, Greg Oden (right) gets reacquainted with a young man he met during the summer.

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Greg Oden the basketball player took the day off Saturday.

Greg Oden the person spent several hours with some people who mean a good deal to him.

The Trail Blazer rookie played host to nearly 200 children and their mentors from throughout the state at McMenamins Bagdad Theatre, an afternoon billed as “’Tis the Season with Team ODEN.”

Participants ate pizza as they watched “Home Alone 2” – Oden’s favorite holiday film. Then Oden, wearing an elf cap, a Blazer sweatsuit and a steady smile – personally handed a gift bag to each child. He posed for photos, signed autographs and seemed to genuinely enjoy the activity.

I loved Oden’s response when I asked him about the event.

“I’m just out here trying to make somebody’s day,” the 7-footer said with a shrug.

Every NBA player has his charity or charities. Oden has focused on the Oregon Mentors program, primarily because it is an endeavor close to his heart.

As a product of a single-parent family growing up in Terre Haute, Ind., Oden bonded with Jimmy Smith, director of the city’s Boys and Girls Club.

“He still plays a big part in my life,” Oden said. “I talk to Jimmy every week. He is always there for me, making sure I’m OK.”

Oden met Smith as a fourth-grader.

“I was at the Boys and Girls Club every day,” said Oden, smiling at the memory. “I had nothing else to do. Jimmy was my first basketball coach. I always spoke to him. His son, Travis, was my best friend.”

Travis Smith, you may recall, was killed in an automobile accident in May 2007. It was a devastating blow for Oden, who spent the better part of that week in Terre Haute, grieving with the Smith family.

Asked if Smith has served as a father figure, Oden nodded.

“He actually is,” he said. “My dad was far away in Buffalo. (Smith) was always there. Anything I needed, if I just needed somebody to talk to, he was there. And he still is.”

Oden feels the same way about Mike Conley, the former track and field star and father of Mike Conley Jr., Oden’s close friend, ex-teammate at Ohio State and now a point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. Oden kept them in mind when deciding on a community-service pursuit.

“We looked at organizations that have a very big upside,” Oden said. “Mentors is something I wanted to get into. The people and the (Oregon Mentors) organization, it’s just a good thing. We got involved, and everything has been great so far.”

Oregon Mentors is an umbrella organization that includes a coalition of mentoring-type programs in the state, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Powerhouse (foster care) and the SMART reading program. About 30 of those programs were represented at Saturday’s event.

“When we started this last January, we sat down with Greg and worked the entire initiative together,” said Claudia Mullin, grants and publications manager for Oregon Mentors. “He let us know what activities he was most interested in doing.”

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