--- description: NBA player Greg Oden was arrested in Indiana on Thursday for allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend title: NBA Player Arrested for Allegedly Punching His Ex-Girlfriend image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59f05485cb2c238/69869eb136176058aa90d5e5/495322019.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # NBA Player Greg Oden Arrested for Allegedly Punching Ex-Girlfriend in the Face by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 7, 2014 3:40 PM CUT  Greg Oden, No. 20 of the Miami Heat, looks on prior to Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers Greg Oden, No. 20 of the Miami Heat, looks on prior to Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana PacersRon Elkman—Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 7, 2014 3:40 PM CUT Greg Oden, a free agent NBA player, was [arrested](http://www.si.com/nba/2014/08/07/greg-oden-free-agent-misdemeanor-battery-charges "undefined") on Thursday in Indiana on charges of misdemeanor battery after allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend. “He punched her in the face,” said a witness, who identified herself as the victim’s best friend, according to a police report. The incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. at a house [owned](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/08/07/greg-oden-arrested/13712409/ "undefined") by Oden’s mother. “Things got out of control and I started to go after the victim,” the report, which has redacted names, says Oden told police. “My relative\] and witness tried to hold me back, but as I swung my arms to move them out of the way, then punched the victim in the face. I was wrong and I know what has to happen.” The victim, 24, and Oden, 26, had dated for about two years, he told police, before breaking up nearly two months ago. When officers arrived, they found the victim lying down and reportedly bleeding from “lacerations” around her nose and forehead. The report adds that police found blood on the floor and a sofa, as well as dirt on the ground from a flower pot that had been knocked over. According to the report: --- > “” --- No charges have been filed yet against Oden, who was No. 1 draft pick in 2007 and most recently played with the Miami Heat. He was taken to an initial processing center for arrestees. The NBA has not yet responded to the incident, among the latest in a recent string of pro-athlete arrests. The NFL recently [came under fire](http://time.com/3032588/ray-rice-nfl-domestic-violence-suspended/ "undefined") for suspending Ray Rice, a running back with the Baltimore Ravens, for two games after he allegedly hit his wife to the point of knocking her unconscious—all caught on tape. And Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts was suspended for four games for taking illegal fertility drugs in a bid to help his wife conceive. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3088990/nba-basketball-greg-oden-arrest/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3088990/nba-basketball-greg-oden-arrest/"},"headline":"NBA Player Greg Oden Arrested for Allegedly Punching Ex-Girlfriend in the Face","datePublished":"2014-08-07T15:40:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:48.000Z","description":"No official charges have been filed yet","url":"https://time.com/3088990/nba-basketball-greg-oden-arrest/","keywords":["Living","Crime","NBA","battery"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59f05485cb2c238/69869eb136176058aa90d5e5/495322019.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59f05485cb2c238/69869eb136176058aa90d5e5/495322019.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Indiana Pacers v Miami Heat - Game 6","caption":"Indiana Pacers v Miami Heat - Game 6","creditText":"Ron Elkman—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3088990/nba-basketball-greg-oden-arrest/","name":"NBA Player Greg Oden Arrested for Allegedly Punching Ex-Girlfriend in the Face"}}]}] ```