By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

NEW YORK, June 25 -- Greg Oden's corner suite on the 12th floor of a swank midtown hotel has many of the trappings one would expect for a player likely to be the No. 1 selection of Thursday's NBA draft: large space, a sprawling view of Times Square, room-service carts along the walls. His favorite part, however, is the big window: Peering through it, he can't see Central Park or the Hudson River, but he's got a nice sightline to a movie theater.

"Look at that," he said, pointing down to the flickering marquee. Then he laughs to himself, and wonders if he might get a special screening of the soon-to-be-released "Transformers."

At 19, Oden is very much a brand-in-progress.

Oden arrived here earlier Monday to complete what has been an endless stream of flights, meetings, negotiations and interviews for the 7-foot center, ever since he declared for the draft after his freshman year at Ohio State. He visited Portland, which holds the first pick, and Seattle last week and is slated to make appearances on MTV's "Total Request Live" and ABC's "Good Morning America" while in New York.

It will all culminate when he shakes hands with Commissioner David Stern and officially joins the NBA. "I just have to get through this week," Oden said, "then I can go back to being myself."

It might seem like too much for Oden, but it is all part of the process of creating the Greg Oden Brand. In the past month, Oden has signed deals with Nike and Topps trading cards, with more currently being negotiated, according to Bill Sanders, vice president of marketing for BDA Sports, the second-largest agency working with NBA players. Sanders said the key was ensuring that Oden isn't overexposed before he puts on an NBA uniform. "The worst thing you can do is have a guy pitching every product under the sun because you greatly diminish his value as a spokesperson. You've got to protect that value and be very, very respectful."

Sanders said the agency pushed for Oden to become one of the "most active digital athletes of the 21st century" and start a popular blog, http://www.yardbarker.com/gregoden, so that he can deliver a message directly to his fans.

Oden regularly responds to readers who ask questions and said blogging is so addictive that he has often ignored his friends while writing it. "It's a lot of fun," Oden said.

Paul Swangard, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, said former Texas star Kevin Durant is the most marketable player in this draft, but that Oden is a "strong second. His only challenge is he plays a position that tends to work against those who play it. Kids do not go to the playground and pretend to be 7-foot centers. Shoe and apparel manufacturers don't tend to covet the big man as much as they do the playmaker. That won't make [Oden] go hungry. The reports are that the deal he signed with Nike was for $1 million a year. LeBron [James] got $90 million."

Oden's agent, Mike Conley Sr., said he chose to join BDA Sports Management partly because of how the agency had been able to market its clients, including Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony and especially Yao Ming, a big man who has had no trouble pushing products. Sanders said they are using a model similar to Yao's in marketing Oden. "The argument that big men aren't marketable is a complete urban legend," Sanders said. "Shaquille O'Neal has had a very successful marketing career. So has Yao Ming. How many other big men are there that fit that description? Kevin Garnett. Tim Duncan, less so. I think he's the exception. I'm not worried about [Oden] at all. I'm totally confident in him. When you're a winner and super-talented and also you're a person with integrity and charisma, you're a marketer's dream."

Conley Sr. said Oden's height shouldn't be a hindrance because of his personality. "If Greg was 5-foot-2 and couldn't shoot a jump shot, he would be a remarkable young man," Conley Sr. said. "He's got a sense of humor and he has always done the right thing and he prides himself on doing that. He's a joy to be around and that's going to captivate his audience, his fan-base and say, 'Hey, we can connect with this guy.' He's 7-foot tall but, boy, he's normal."

Oden said he has avoided much of the hoopla surrounding the debate over who the No. 1 pick will be by watching "SpongeBob" on Nickelodeon instead of round-the-clock ESPN. "I'm a regular guy. I just got out of college. I'm 19 years old. I don't live any kind of celebrity life," Oden said. "I watch 'CSI.' I like to walk to Cold Stone in the middle of the night, Taco Bell. That's what I do."

When Sanders first met Oden, Oden looked the part of the shy, inquisitive, honor roll student who never received anything less than a B in high school or at Ohio State. Oden wore a suit and spectacles, asked questions with genuine interest, peppered the conversation with "sirs," and opened the door for everyone.

He figured he had a polite kid, but selling him to the masses might be a challenge. Over time, Oden opened up to Sanders and revealed a more playful and jovial side, constantly flashing his gap-toothed smile. Then, Sanders thought he had struck marketing gold last month, when Oden was in Portland to sign his first endorsement deal with Topps. The deal is worth a reported $3 million over three years and gives Topps exclusive rights to his autographed apparel and Oden's Web site, Eric Liebler, manager of sports licensing for Topps, said.

"I remember saying to anyone that would listen is that the NBA is really going to miss Shaq. I just thought that charming, light-hearted, fun-loving personality really meant a lot to the league. I don't think there is going to be a void anymore. I'm not saying that because Greg is a center. I'm saying that because Greg has that personality. He's one of the most charming, funny, likable people I've met and it's our job to get that across."

Sanders said there are no plans for Oden to follow O'Neal's path and do "Kazaam II," but he added that they will take him to a movie set in case he ever plans to go Hollywood. That time isn't now, Oden said.

"My face isn't made for movies," Oden said. "So I'll probably do the cartoon route -- 'Shrek 5,' holla at me. I'm ready for it."

Oden has been surrounded by attention since his sophomore year in high school, when he was already dubbed the next great big man. But less than three months after leading Ohio State to the national title game, Oden is looking forward to what got him here.

"Just get back to basketball. I want to do stuff before stuff is given to me," Oden said. "I haven't played a game yet, so why is stuff being given to me? Really. Maybe three or four years, if I can win a NBA championship, make the all-star team and playoffs and feel like I deserve some of this stuff. But I feel good that I've got [the endorsement deals]. Don't play me wrong."

And what does he plan to do when this week is over? "See 'Transformers,' " Oden said with a laugh.