Lamar
Joseph Odom[1] (born November 6, 1979)[2] is an American former
professional basketball player. As a member of the Los
Angeles Lakers in
the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won NBA
championships in
2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.
As a high
school player, Odom received national player of the year honors from Parade in 1997. He played college
basketballfor
the University of Rhode Island, earning all-conference honors
in his only season in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He was drafted in the first
round of the 1999 NBA draft with the fourth overall pick by the Los
Angeles Clippers. He was
named to theNBA All-Rookie Team, but twice he violated the league's drug policy in
his four seasons with the Clippers. He signed as arestricted
free agent with
the Miami Heat, where he played one season in 2003–04 before
being traded to the Lakers. Odom spent seven seasons with the Lakers, who
traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. After the move, his career declined.
He was traded back to the Clippers in 2012 and played briefly in Spain in 2014.
Odom
played on the United States national team, winning a bronze medal in the Olympics in 2004 and gold in
the FIBA World Championship (known later as the World
Cup) in 2010.
He
married Khloé Kardashian in 2009, and has made several appearances on
her family's reality television show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. He and Kardashian also had
their own reality series, Khloé & Lamar.
Early life
Odom was born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, to Joe Odom and Cathy Mercer.[3] His father was aheroin addict, and Odom's mother
died of colon
cancer when
he was twelve years old.[4][5] At her deathbed, Odom's mom told him: "Be
nice to everybody".[6] Afterwards, he was raised by his maternal
grandmother, Mildred Mercer.[3]
In his first three years of high
school, Odom played for Christ The King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens.[7] He left the school at the
start of his senior year due to poor grades,[3] transferring first to
Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, New York and then to the now-defunct St. Thomas
Aquinas High School in New Britain, Connecticut, where he was coached by Jerry DeGregorio.[7][8] As a senior, Odom was
recognized nationally as the Parade Player of the Year in 1997.[9] He also was named to
the Parade All-American First Team for the second
consecutive year,[10] and earned USA Today All-USA 1st Team honors.[11] During his youth, Odom was
teamed with future NBA players Elton Brand and Ron Artest (later known as Metta World Peace) (and both
of whom would be teammates with Odom on both the Clippers and Lakers
respectively) on the same AAU team,[12] and played with future
Lakers teammate Kobe
Bryant at Adidas ABCD camps.[3] Adidas executiveSonny Vaccaro commented at the time that
Odom possessed a "$2 million smile".[13]
College career
Odom contemplated entering the
NBA directly out of high school, and consulted with Bryant, who had made the
jump a year earlier. He decided he was not ready, and decided to attend
the University
of Nevada at Las Vegas.[3] However, after a Sports Illustrated report questioned his
unexpectedly high score of 22 out of 36 in the ACT, the school released him in July 1997 before he
ever played a game for them. That same summer, he received a citation for
soliciting prostitution following an undercover operation by the Las Vegas
police.[14] Later, an NCAA inquiry found Odom received payments
amounting to $5,600 from booster David Chapman.[15] Coach Bill Bayno was fired and UNLV was
placed on probation for four years.[16]
Odom transferred to the University of Rhode Island but was forced to sit out
the 1997–98 season.[17] He was admitted as a non-matriculating student, and was not allowed to playintramural basketball.[3] His room and board was paid
for by his father, who was covered by the G.I. Bill. After two semesters and a summer session, Odom
earned his eligibility to play basketball.[7] His career at Rhode Island
had been in jeopardy after the first semester, when he vanished before finals.
However, Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick persuaded three of his four instructors to
allow him to make up his work. The coach also had Odom work with DeGregorio,
who had become a Rams assistant and was the player's closest friend in college.[3][7] Odom was also inspired by
his maternal grandmother, a nurse who had raised five children and returned to
school to earn her degree in 1980 at age 56.[7]
Odom played one season for the
Rams in the Atlantic
10 Conference, where
he averaged 17.6 points per game and led the Rams to the conference
championship in 1999.[18] He earned first-team all-conference honors
and was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. He was named the most valuable player of the Atlantic 10 Tournament after his three-pointer against Temple University at the buzzer[8] gave the Rams their first
A-10 Tournament title.[citation needed]
Professional career
Los
Angeles Clippers (1999–2003)
Odom with the Clippers.
Odom declared his eligibility for
the 1999 NBA
draft after
his freshman year at the Rhode Island in
1999.[19] He then tried to return to college, thinking
he was not ready for the NBA; however, had already signed with an agent and was
no longer eligible to withdraw from the draft.[6] Odom was selected by
the Los
Angeles Clippers with
the fourth overall pick.[20] In his first season with the Clippers, Odom
averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, including 30
points and 12 rebounds in his NBA debut.[21] He was named to the 2000
NBA All-Rookie First Team.[22]
In the 2000–01 season, Odom increased his scoring
average to 17.2 points a game as he started in 74 games. The Clippers failed to
make the playoffs again however, as the young team could not improve their
positioning in the Western
Conference. In
March 2001, Odom was suspended for five games for violating the NBA's drug
policy.[23] In the following season, he was suspended in November for violating the
drug policy again, his second offense in eight months.[23][24] He admitted to using marijuana after the suspension.[25] Odom only played 29 games
during the season, and his production slipped.
He would only play in 49 games
during the 2002–03
season, and
would be a restricted free agent the following summer. The Miami Heat offered a deal that the
Clippers declined to match after already matching another offer the Heat made
to Elton
Brand.
Miami
Heat (2003–2004)
The Heat had previously won only
25 games, but had drafted young talent such as Dwyane Wade and Caron Butler. Odom was brought in to play as
the team's starting power forward, and along with the budding Wade and
veteran Eddie
Jones shared
the scoring load with 17.1 points a game to go with a career high 9.7 rebounds.
The Heat opened the season losing 7 straight games, but ended up playing better
and competing for a seed in the playoffs. On March 6, Odom posted a triple
double, scoring 30 points with 19 rebounds and 11 assists in a home win against
the Sacramento
Kings. The
Heat would go on to the clinch the 4th seed in the playoffs, facing off the New Orleans Hornets in the first round. Each
team won at home, and the Heat would win a 7th deciding game to advance to the
second round to face the number one seeded Indiana Pacers. The Pacers would win the first two games in
Indiana, but the Heat responded with two straight home wins, including a game 4
victory led by Odom's 22 points. The Pacers' experience proved to be too much
for the younger Heat, as they would go to win games 5 and 6 to wrap up the
series.[26] He had a solid season[27] compared to his sub-par
season with the Clippers the previous year.[27]
After the season, Odom was traded
in a package with Caron
Butler and Brian Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers for All-Star Shaquille O'Neal.[28]
Los
Angeles Lakers (2004–2011)
Odom in a Lakers vsSpurs game in 2007.
In his first year with the Los
Angeles Lakers, Odom incurred a left shoulder injury which forced him to miss
the end of the 2004–05
season.[29]Despite Odom averaging 15.2
points and a career high 10.2 rebounds, the Lakers finished out of the playoffs
for only the 5th time in franchise history.[30] Following the 2004–05
season, they re-hired former coach Phil Jackson.[31]
In the first half of 2005–06, Odom displayed inconsistency
while playing with the Lakers. However, as Los Angeles progressed towards the
end of the season, his performance steadily improved. Along the way, he posted
consecutive triple-doubles for the first time as a
Laker against the Golden
State Warriors[32] and Portland Trail Blazers.[33] The Lakers were eliminated
in 7 games in the first round of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns, after the Lakers lost a 3–1
series lead.[34] Odom averaged 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds
during the season and increased his scoring (19.1) and rebounds (11) in seven
playoff games.
Battling injuries, Odom was
limited to 56 games in 2006–07, but
finished with an average of 15.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.[35] In a rematch of the
previous year's series, the Lakers were again defeated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of
the 2007 NBA
Playoffs.[36]
After young center Andrew Bynum went down with a knee
injury during the 2007–08
season,[37] and Pau Gasol was acquired by the Lakers
midseason,[38] Odom played well, averaging 15.3 points, 12
rebounds, and 4 assists per game.[39] Odom finished the season
with 14.2 ppg 10.6 rpg and 3.5 apg.[40] Odom's numbers were down
in the
Finals,
however, where he averaged 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game,[41] with the Lakers losing in
the 2008 NBA
Finals to
the Boston
Celtics.[42]
In 2008–09, Odom arrived at training camp
out of shape.[43] Jackson shared his plan to move Odom to
the bench as their sixth man, backing up the Lakers'
frontcourt of Gasol, Bynum, and Trevor Ariza.[44] A free agent after the
season, Odom initially balked at the plan to be a reserve for the first time in
his career.[44] However, he came around, and was resolved to
make his teammates happy and sacrifice his own individual numbers in the hopes
of securing his first NBA championship.[44] When Bynum was injured in a
game against the Memphis
Grizzlies in
January, Odom returned to the starting lineup. In the month of February, Odom,
playing 36 minutes per game, averaged 16.5 points, 13.4 rebounds (4.9 offensive
and 9.5 defensive), 2.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and .9 steals.[45] The February run included a
good performance at Quicken
Loans Arena at Cleveland. With 15 points in the 3rd quarter,
Odom helped the Lakers out of a 12-point deficit to turn it into a 10-point
victory, breaking Cleveland's 23 game home win-streak.[46] He finished the game with
28 points, 17 rebounds and 2 assists.[47]
Odom in 2011, when he was namedNBA Sixth
Man of the Year.
Odom adjusted back to his sixth
man role when Bynum returned for an April 9 home matchup versus the Denver Nuggets.[48] Odom finished his season
with 11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocks with
29.7 minutes per game.[35] He won his first NBA championship when the
Lakers defeated the Orlando
Magic in
the 2009 NBA
Finals.[45]
During the 2009 off-season, Odom
was courted heavily by the his former team, Miami.[49] Despite pleas from Heat
guard Dwyane
Wade,[50] Kobe Bryant remained optimistic Odom
would return to Los Angeles[51] to team up with newly acquired forward and
Odom's fellow New Yorker, Ron Artest. After a
month of tedious negotiations, on July 31, 2009 the Lakers announced that they
had agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $33 million with Odom.[52] The investment would pay
off as Odom would play a crucial role for the Lakers on the way to another NBA
Championship, with the Lakers winning over the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals.[53]
Odom continued his strong play
for the Lakers with another solid season in the 2010–11 season where he posted career
highs in 3 point shooting percentage (.382) and overall field goal percentage
(.530).[35] He started 35 games in Bynum's absence during
the season and averaged 16.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in those
starts. In 47 games off the bench, Odom averaged 13.5 points,
7.5 rebounds in 28.4 minutes.[54] Meeting the requirement to
come in as a reserve more games than he started, Odom was awarded the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, becoming the first player in
Lakers history to do so.[44][55][56] Bryant called it Odom's most "consistent
season".[44]During the offseason, Odom considered taking a
break from basketball after a close cousin was murdered and Odom was a
passenger in a SUV involved in an accident that killed a teenage cyclist.[57][58] The car accident had
occurred the day after Odom attended his cousin's funeral.[58]
Dallas
Mavericks (2011–2012)
On December 11, 2011, Odom was
traded to the Dallas
Mavericks, the
defending NBA champions, for a first-round draft pick and an $8.9 million trade
exception after NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed a proposed three-team trade that would
have sent Odom and Houston
Rockets teammates Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, and Goran Dragić to theNew Orleans Hornets; Chris Paul to the Lakers; and Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets. Odom felt
"disrespected" after he learned of the Hornets trade publicly, and he
requested a trade from the Lakers to another contending team.[59] The Lakers were also
concerned that Odom's contract was pricey since he was not needed to initiate
the triangle
offensewith Mike Brown replacing Phil Jackson as
Lakers coach.[60] The deal was confirmed by the Mavericks on
December 11.[61][62]
On March 2, 2012, Odom was
assigned to the Texas
Legends of
the NBA
D-League. He had
missed the prior three games due to personal reasons.[63] His stint with the Legends
was canceled on March 3, 2012 and he returned to the Mavs' active roster.[64] On March 24, Odom did not
play in a 104–87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the first time he could remember not playing due
to a coach's decision.[57]
On April 9, 2012, it was
announced that Odom had parted ways with the Mavericks. Instead of releasing
him, the team listed Odom inactive for the remainder of the season. The move
allowed the Mavericks to trade him at the end of the season. In a statement
to ESPN, Odom said, "I'm sorry that
things didn't work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs'
organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the
defense of their championship."[65] Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitted that a clash
between the two during halftime in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 7 was the last
straw. Odom reportedly responded angrily when Cuban questioned his commitment,
asking if he was "in or out."[66] Odom averaged only 6.6
points in 20.5 minutes along with career lows in shooting percentage (35.2),
rebounds (4.2) and assists (1.7) .[25]
Return to
Los Angeles Clippers (2012–2013)
On June 29, 2012, Odom was traded
back to the Los
Angeles Clippers as
part of a four-team deal. The deal sent Odom to the Clippers, the rights
to Tadija
Dragićević and
cash considerations to the Dallas Mavericks, Mo Williams and the draft rights to Shan Foster to the Utah Jazz, and the draft rights to Furkan Aldemir to the Houston Rockets.[67] He played all 82 games of
the season for the third time in his career, but only started two of them. Out
of shape for half the season,[25] he averaged career lows of
4.0 ppg and 1.7 apg in 19.7 mpg during the season.[68] He also averaged 5.9
rebounds, but shot just 39.9 percent.[25] The Clippers finished 56-26
and won their first ever Pacific Division title.
In July 2013, Odom became a free
agent but did not land an NBA contract despite some interest from the Clippers
in his return.[69] The Lakers also contemplated re-signing him,
but both teams committed to other players instead.[68]
Laboral
Kutxa Baskonia (2014)
On February 18, 2014, Odom signed
with Laboral
Kutxa Baskonia of
the Spanish
League and
the Euroleague on a two-month deal with an
option to extend it for the remainder of the season.[70][71] A month later, he returned
to the United States due to a back injury after his personal doctors in New
York ruled him unfit to play out his contract. He appeared in just two games
for Baskonia.[72]
New York
Knicks (2014)
On April 16, 2014, Odom signed
with the New York
Knicks for
the remainder of the 2013–14 season,[73] but did not appear in the
team's season finale. The Knicks finished with a 37–45 win/loss record and
missed the playoffs. On July 11, 2014, he was waived by the Knicks.[74]
National team career
Chauncey
Billups (left)
and Odom holding 2010 FIBA World Championship trophy.
Odom played in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens for the US national team, averaging 9.3 ppg while helping
the U.S. to a bronze medal.[75]He was invited to play for the FIBA World Championships for
2006 but declined the invitation because of the tragic death of his son[76] and in 2007 because of a
shoulder injury.[77]
Odom would, however, be invited
back for the national team's run at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey where
the U.S. would win gold for the first time since 1994.[78] Odom, being one of the
elder statesmen on a young U.S. squad, served as a mentor for many of the
younger players[79] and even played out of position at center for
the tournament.[79] He led the U.S. in rebounds and finished the
FIBA championships with double-doubles in the semi-final[80] and championship games[81] while becoming the first
player in history to win both an NBA championship and FIBA gold in the same
year.[78]
Player profile
Odom was renowned for the impact
his positive personality had on his teams. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak called him "the most
popular player in our locker room".[82] Odom valued the concept of
a team and played unselfishly,[83] and was content deferring
to teammates while playing a supporting role.[43] Standing at 6 feet
10 inches (2.08 m), he was still adept at dribbling the ball and
directing the offense, and could also rebound proficiently as a small forward.[43][44][82] He was able to score as
a post
player, on
mid-range jumpers, as well as from outside. He could start a fast break with an
outlook pass, finish it with a layup, or simply drive from coast to coast for a
dunk.[44] Though he was a reserve on the Lakers
championship teams, he typically finished games in place of starter Andrew Bynum.[83]
Odom was cooperative with the
media, and provided both thoughtful and open responses.[82]
Career statistics
|
Legend
|
|||||
|
GP
|
Games
played
|
GS
|
Games
started
|
MPG
|
Minutes
per game
|
|
FG%
|
Field goal percentage
|
3P%
|
3-point field goal percentage
|
FT%
|
Free throw percentage
|
|
RPG
|
Rebounds per game
|
APG
|
Assists per game
|
SPG
|
Steals per game
|
|
BPG
|
Blocks per game
|
PPG
|
Points
per game
|
Bold
|
Career
high
|
NBA
|
†
|
Denotes
seasons in which Odom won an NBA championship
|
Regular
season
|
Year
|
Team
|
GP
|
GS
|
MPG
|
FG%
|
3P%
|
FT%
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
PPG
|
|
1999–00
|
L.A. Clippers
|
76
|
70
|
36.4
|
.438
|
.360
|
.719
|
7.8
|
4.2
|
1.2
|
1.3
|
16.6
|
|
2000–01
|
L.A. Clippers
|
76
|
74
|
37.3
|
.460
|
.316
|
.679
|
7.8
|
5.2
|
1.0
|
1.6
|
17.2
|
|
2001–02
|
L.A. Clippers
|
29
|
25
|
34.4
|
.419
|
.190
|
.656
|
6.1
|
5.9
|
.8
|
1.2
|
13.1
|
|
2002–03
|
L.A. Clippers
|
49
|
47
|
34.3
|
.439
|
.326
|
.777
|
6.7
|
3.6
|
.9
|
.8
|
14.6
|
|
2003–04
|
Miami
|
80
|
80
|
37.5
|
.430
|
.298
|
.742
|
9.7
|
4.1
|
1.1
|
.9
|
17.1
|
|
2004–05
|
L.A. Lakers
|
64
|
64
|
36.3
|
.473
|
.308
|
.695
|
10.2
|
3.7
|
.7
|
1.0
|
15.2
|
|
2005–06
|
L.A. Lakers
|
80
|
80
|
40.3
|
.481
|
.372
|
.690
|
9.2
|
5.5
|
.9
|
.8
|
14.8
|
|
2006–07
|
L.A. Lakers
|
56
|
56
|
39.3
|
.468
|
.297
|
.700
|
9.8
|
4.8
|
.9
|
.6
|
15.9
|
|
2007–08
|
L.A. Lakers
|
77
|
77
|
37.9
|
.525
|
.274
|
.698
|
10.6
|
3.5
|
1.0
|
.9
|
14.2
|
|
2008–09†
|
L.A. Lakers
|
78
|
32
|
29.7
|
.492
|
.320
|
.623
|
8.2
|
2.6
|
1.0
|
1.3
|
11.3
|
|
2009–10†
|
L.A. Lakers
|
82
|
38
|
31.5
|
.463
|
.319
|
.693
|
9.8
|
3.3
|
.9
|
.7
|
10.8
|
|
2010–11
|
L.A. Lakers
|
82
|
35
|
32.2
|
.530
|
.382
|
.675
|
8.7
|
3.0
|
.6
|
.7
|
14.4
|
|
2011–12
|
Dallas
|
50
|
4
|
20.5
|
.352
|
.252
|
.592
|
4.2
|
1.7
|
.4
|
.4
|
6.6
|
|
2012–13
|
L.A. Clippers
|
82
|
2
|
19.7
|
.399
|
.200
|
.476
|
5.9
|
1.7
|
.8
|
.7
|
4.0
|
|
Career
|
961
|
684
|
33.4
|
.463
|
.312
|
.693
|
8.4
|
3.7
|
.9
|
.9
|
13.3
|
|
Playoffs
|
Year
|
Team
|
GP
|
GS
|
MPG
|
FG%
|
3P%
|
FT%
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
PPG
|
|
2004
|
Miami
|
13
|
13
|
39.4
|
.445
|
.308
|
.681
|
8.3
|
2.8
|
1.2
|
.8
|
16.8
|
|
2006
|
L.A. Lakers
|
7
|
7
|
44.9
|
.495
|
.200
|
.667
|
11.0
|
4.9
|
.4
|
1.1
|
19.1
|
|
2007
|
L.A. Lakers
|
5
|
5
|
38.4
|
.482
|
.273
|
.500
|
13.0
|
2.2
|
.4
|
1.2
|
19.4
|
|
2008
|
L.A. Lakers
|
21
|
21
|
37.4
|
.491
|
.273
|
.661
|
10.0
|
3.0
|
.7
|
1.3
|
14.3
|
|
2009†
|
L.A. Lakers
|
23
|
5
|
32.0
|
.524
|
.514
|
.613
|
9.1
|
1.8
|
.7
|
1.3
|
12.3
|
|
2010†
|
L.A. Lakers
|
23
|
0
|
29.0
|
.469
|
.244
|
.600
|
8.6
|
2.0
|
.7
|
.9
|
9.7
|
|
2011
|
L.A. Lakers
|
10
|
1
|
28.6
|
.459
|
.200
|
.711
|
6.5
|
2.1
|
.2
|
.4
|
12.1
|
|
2013
|
L.A. Clippers
|
6
|
1
|
17.8
|
.367
|
.357
|
.500
|
3.8
|
1.8
|
.8
|
.8
|
5.0
|
|
Career
|
108
|
53
|
33.3
|
.479
|
.303
|
.643
|
8.8
|
2.4
|
.7
|
1.0
|
13.0
|
|
International
leagues
Regular
season
|
Year
|
Team
|
GP
|
GS
|
MPG
|
FG%
|
3P%
|
FT%
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
PPG
|
|
2013–14
|
Baskonia
|
2
|
0
|
11.5
|
.125
|
.000
|
.000
|
2.0
|
.5
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
|
Career
|
2
|
0
|
11.5
|
.125
|
.000
|
.000
|
2.0
|
.5
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
|
Personal life
Odom has his own music and film
production company, Rich Soil Entertainment.[24] He appeared in a Taco Bell commercial with Charles Barkley during Super Bowl XLIV.[84]Additionally, Odom made a cameo
on the second season of the HBO television series Entourage.
Odom is noted for his fondness
for candy. Wrigley made a replica of the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy out of candy in celebration
of the Lakers' victory in the 2009 Finals, and Odom's name is featured on the base.[85]
Odom had three children, Destiny
(b. 1998), Lamar Jr. (b. 2002),[citation needed] and Jayden (2005–2006),
with Liza Morales before they separated.[24] On June 29, 2006,
6½-month-old Jayden died from sudden infant death syndrome while sleeping in his crib
in New York.[20][86] At the time, Odom was already in town for the
funeral of an aunt.[13]Odom developed a relationship with his father, who
became drug-free, but he remains closer to DeGregorio, whom he calls [his]
"white dad".[3][6] DeGregorio is the godfather to Destiny and
Lamar Jr.[3]
In September 2009, Odom
married Khloé
Kardashian after
a month of dating.[87] He had met her at a party for Lakers teammate
Artest.[83] Their wedding was featured on the E!reality-based series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, in which she stars. Odom became
a fixture on the show and a household name to millions who were not already
familiar with him as a basketball player.[13][88]
In December 2010, E! announced
another spinoff from the series featuring Odom, Kardashian, and his two
children from his previous relationship. The series, titled Khloé & Lamar, debuted on April 10, 2011.[89] Soon thereafter, Odom
almost opted out of the show as the filming wore him down.[88] The series was canceled in
2012 after two seasons.
On August 30, 2013, Odom was
arrested on charges of driving under the influence (DUI).[90] After the arrest, he
refused to submit to a chemical test. Almost a week earlier, gossip websites
had alleged that Odom had been abusing drugs, which prompted worried tweets
from former teammates and coaches.[68][91] On December 9, Odom pleaded
no contest to the DUI charges and accepted a sentence of three years' probation
and three months of alcohol abuse treatment.[92] On December 13, after
months of speculated separation, Kardashian filed for divorce from Odom and for
legal restoration of her last name.[93] Divorce papers were signed
by both parties in July 2015;[94][95][96] however, the divorce did
not receive final approval from a judge before being dismissed by request in
October 2015.[97][98][99]
On October 13, 2015, Odom was
hospitalized after being discovered unconscious at the Love Ranch, a brothel in Crystal, Nevada.[100][101] He was in a coma and placed
on life
support in
a hospital in Las Vegas for a few days before regaining consciousness. He had
suffered several strokes and kidney failure.[102] He was transferred from Las
Vegas to a Los Angeles hospital by medical transport.[103] In the aftermath of the incident,
Odom and Kardashian decided to call off their divorce.[99] She explained that they had
not reconciled but had withdrawn the divorce so that she might assist him in making
medical decisions during his recovery.[104]
Odom's recovery has gone well.[105] On January 8, 2016, Odom's
paternal aunt JaNean Mercer told Us Weekly that "the former NBA star is on the road
to recovery after finally leaving the hospital earlier in the week."[105] She stated “Lamar continues
to make remarkable strides."[105] Khloé Kardashian said
"I’m just there to support and care for him. But he is doing
amazing."[105]
In popular culture
In 2015, he was the most searched
person on Google
Search.[106]
Filmography
|
Year
|
Title
|
Role
|
Notes
|
|
1996
|
Arli$$
|
Himself
|
|
|
2000
|
ESPN Outside The Lines Sunday
|
||
|
2002
|
Van Wilder
|
Coolidge
Chickadee Player
|
Uncredited
|
|
2005
|
Entourage
|
Himself
|
|
|
2006
|
Hood Of
Horror
|
||
|
2009
|
Fantasy Factory
|
Uncredited
|
|
|
Kobe Doin' Work
|
TV
Special
|
||
|
2009–present
|
Keeping Up With The Kardashians
|
Supporting
Cast
|
|
|
2010
|
Modern Family
|
Himself
(with LA Lakers)
|
Episode: Family
Portrait
|
|
Minute To Win It
|
Himself
|
||
|
2010–2013
|
Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami
|
Supporting
Cast (3 Episodes)
|
|
|
2011–2012
|
Khloé & Lamar
|
Main
Cast (8 Episodes)
|
|
|
2011
|
Jack and Jill
|
Cameo
with LA Lakers
|
