Lamar Odom opens up about his life, his time with the Heat and his plan to inspire
When asked how he’s doing these days, Lamar Odom has a simple response prepared.
“I’m here,” Odom answers matter-of-factly.
The near-death experience Odom went through four years ago and has been trying to recover from ever since is not lost on him. In October 2015, Odom spent several says in a coma after he was found unconscious and in critical condition at a Nevada brothel, where he overdosed on cocaine and other drugs.
The former NBA player and one-time starter for the Heat is now working to share his story, with the hope of inspiring others.
Odom, 39, is working with MicDrop, a communications training program company that focuses on the skills of storytelling and public speaking, with the intention of standing on stage and delivering his story in front of an audience in just a few months.
“I feel like God has a plan for me,” Odom said. “Part of his plan for me, I think is just public speaking.
“Just getting my story out there. My story has been told so many different ways. So I just wanted to take that power. At the same time, I think anybody suffering from depression or addiction or suffering from losses in their family could relate to my story. If I can help them by just giving testimony to my story, then why not?”
Odom’s NBA playing career spanned 14 seasons after he was taken by the Clippers with the fourth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.
One of the happiest times in Odom’s NBA career came in Miami, according to him. Odom spent the 2003-04 season with the Heat before he was dealt to the Lakers as part of the trade package that brought Shaquille O’Neal to Miami.
“Pat Riley, man. He opened up everything for me,” Odom said when asked what he remembers from his Heat experience. “He let me know how great of a basketball player I was and could be at that time. Learned a lot about teamwork. Played a lot of defense. We had a great run. I wish it would have lasted longer, but it didn’t.”
In Odom’s one season with the Heat (which was also Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem’s rookie season), he averaged 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 80 games. The Heat’s playoff run was ended by the Pacers in the second round that year.
“I’m close to Dwyane, but I don’t really get to see him often, as much as I would like to,” Odom said of his current relationship with his former Heat teammates. “Him and Udonis were dear to me on that team. Hopefully I’ll move back down here, I can rekindle those relationships.”
But Odom’s focus right now is on strengthening his connection with his children, Destiny and Lamar Jr., from his relationship with Liza Morales. Odom’s third child, Jayden, was found dead just six months after birth because of sudden infant death syndrome in 2006.
Odom’s family is being incorporated into his public speaking.
“It’s strong and it’s growing every day,” Odom said of his relationship with his children. “I’m just working on it every day. My kids are dear to me. I just want to be the best father I can be.”
The self-improvement process Odom is going through includes becoming comfortable and vulnerable enough to tell his harrowing story.
“Lamar is very, very passionate about sharing his story to help others,” said Rosh Lowe, who co-founded MicDrop after previously serving as a reporter for WSVN-Ch. 7. “That’s what I’m so excited about with this project. I think when Lamar gets up there and is able to share his story of overcoming addiction, of reconnecting with his family, of dealing with grief, he’ll inspire a lot of people to also want to share their story.”
As for Odom’s vices, he has struggled with drug and sex addiction in the past. It’s still a battle he deals with daily, but he’s pleased with the progress he has made.
“When you’re an addict, you wake up and it’s a fight,” said Odom, whose 2009 marriage with reality TV personality Khloe Kardashian ended in divorce. “But it’s a fight that I’m willing to fight and win. Right now, I’m winning.”
Basketball is still important to Odom, but he doesn’t play as much as he would like. His final NBA game came in 2013, and he recently was part of the Big3 basketball league until a back injury led the league to deactivate him for the remainder of the 2019 season.
Odom said he might attempt to play overseas this year, specifically mentioning the Philippines.
“Just been learning,” he said of how he has spent the past few years. “Learning about myself, learning about the people around me, about who I want around me. Just been learning every day. My grandmother told me, ‘When you stop learning, you stop living. So I’m still living.”
Living, learning and growing.
“For the longest time, I didn’t know if I was more famous or infamous because it was just bad energy on my name,” Odom said. “Hopefully with me doing this public speaking, I can just clear a lot of that up.
“I’m a young black man. We hold everything inside. So now I’m just trying to spread love.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2019 at 1:49 PM.
