OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Greg Oden #52 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA game at Oracle Arena on November 20, 2009 in Oakland, California.
(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Greg Oden is hoping for the best for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant. In fact, he hopes he sees KD hoist another Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Greg Oden and one Brooklyn Nets forward will always be linked. The two players went first and second in the 2007 NBA Draft, respectively, but Oden’s career never took off. Conversely, Kevin Durant is one of the best players of all-time and a no-doubt Hall of Famer.

Despite the fact that Oden will always be in Durant’s shadow to some extent, the big man still roots for KD.

“No, I’m happy for KD,” Oden said via Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype when asked if watching Durant is still difficult for him. “I hope and pray that he can come back from this injury and be just like he was before – or even better. I’m nothing but a fan of KD.”

It can be difficult for Oden to watch the guy drafted behind dominate the NBA, but he still wants Durant to lead Brooklyn to a championship one day.

“I wouldn’t say that I cried,” Oden added. “I had some feelings inside like, ‘Damn, I was picked first…’ I wish I could be doing those things! I wish I could be the businessman that he is, the good dude that he is. But I’ve never felt anger or like, ‘That should be me!’ I’m a fan of basketball and a fan of him. I wish him nothing but the best and I hope he comes back next year and takes Brooklyn to a championship.”

Durant won’t be back this season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals. The former MVP has already ruled himself out for the year and with Kyrie Irving also done for the season, the nets are just waiting to regroup in October.

Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, and Jarrett Allen can all be complementary pieces on a squad led by Irving and Durant. The problem is just that this unit has had no time on the court together in 2019-20 to work out the kinks.

Despite Brooklyn’s disappointing 2019-20 season, they are still a bonafide championship contender when fully healthy.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.