An Indiana judge has granted a delay in the case against former NBA No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden, who is facing a felony domestic violence charge for allegedly beating his ex-girlfriend last month.
Oden's trial in Indianapolis is scheduled to start Nov. 19 after it was initially set for Oct. 22, according to documents filed Monday in Marion County court. Oden's attorney filed a request Monday to have a GPS tracking device removed from the 7-foot, 280-pound center's body, but the request is still pending, a spokesman for the Marion County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to ESPN.com.
Oden, 26, is facing one count of felony battery resulting in serious bodily harm and two misdemeanor battery charges for his alleged role in an Aug. 7 attack on a 24-year-old woman at his mother's suburban Indianapolis home. According to Marion County court documents and a police affidavit, police were called to the home around 3:30 a.m. and found the woman on a blood-splattered sofa with cuts and bruises on her face.
She was later treated at a hospital for a fractured nose, a swollen eye and a laceration on her forehead that were the result of at least three punches to her face, according to police and court documents. In the arrest report, Oden told police he had "punched her in the face" during an argument that had "gotten out of control."
Oden, who has been allowed to leave the state but was required to wear the GPS device from the time he was formally charged, couldn't be reached for comment Monday. His Indianapolis-based attorney James Bell did not return messages. Both Oden and Bell had previously declined to comment until the case is resolved.
Oden remains an unsigned free agent after his one-year contract with the Miami Heat expired in June. His trial is scheduled to start three weeks into the NBA regular season.
The case is one of several high-profile domestic violence incidents involving professional athletes. In addition to Oden, NFL players Ray Rice, Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy were either arrested or are facing domestic violence charges for incidents that occurred in the past eight months.
The Portland Trail Blazers picked Oden ahead of Kevin Durant atop the 2007 draft, but Oden's career has been mired by devastating knee injuries and off-the-court issues. He missed his rookie season after undergoing knee surgery two months after the draft, the first of at least three major injury setbacks. He played just 82 games over six seasons and was sidelined for nearly four years before he returned last season to average 2.9 points in 23 games with Miami.