Greg Oden expects to play in The Basketball Tournament

Oden has joined the Scarlet & Gray team of former Ohio State basketball standouts.

Greg Oden could be back on a basketball court soon, but not in the NBA. Oden announced he is excited to play in The Basketball Tournament, which pits 64 teams of players from across the nation against one another with a grand prize of $2 million.

Oden, 29, has joined the Scarlet & Gray team, featuring former Ohio State Buckeyes basketball players. The team also includes ex-Buckeyes Aaron Craft, Dallas Lauderdale and Evan Ravenel. OSU Hall of Famer Scoonie Penn will be the team’s coach and general manager.

“He'd make a huge impact on our chances,” Penn said in a text message to SB Nation.

Oden has long been removed from the NBA after a string of devastating knee injuries shattered his NBA career. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden was a dominant seven-foot big man projected as the next Shaquille O’Neal. He was selected ahead of several current NBA stars, including Kevin Durant, Marc Gasol, Al Horford, Mike Conley, Joakim Noah, Thaddeus Young and Wilson Chandler.

He was expected to be the third prong to a promising Portland Trail Blazers team that also featured Brandon Roy and later LaMarcus Aldridge.

Unfortunately his rookie season in Portland was delayed after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. Oden then suffered a fractured patella that derailed his career during a breakout second season in which he averaged 11 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 24 minutes per game.

Oden last played for the Miami Heat in the 2013-14 season, appearing in 23 games but failing to make a tangible impact.