Lamar Odom. AFP file photo
Luke Walton and Lamar Odom once donned the purple and gold as teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers, and according to the latter, they could have extended their relationship as coaching colleagues.
The 37-year-old retired point-forward told TMZ that he spoke about a potential coaching role with coach Walton, who now mans the sidelines for their former team.
The first-year Laker coach confirmed the news on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Luke Walton confirmed Lamar Odom reached out to him about helping staff. Luke sounded interested but understandably mindful of his recovery
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 11, 2017
A full transcript of Walton’s statement was also shared by Serena Winters of Lakers Nation on Twitter.
Below is the full transcription of Luke Walton’s answers about Lamar Odom today.
[Here is the video to accompany: https://t.co/GT5emzf06d] pic.twitter.com/zu5znxLOih
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 11, 2017
Although Walton elected not to roll the dice with Odom, the 36-year-old bench boss admitted to have been intrigued by the proposal and seriously considered giving him a position on the sidelines.
He also lauded the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year’s vast knowledge of the game and incredible people skills, which could prove instrumental towards the development of the current squad’s young core of players.
However, Walton, quite wary of his ex-teammate’s personal struggles, said Odom ought to prioritize his recovery after another stint in a drug rehabilitation facility.
NBA: Ex-Laker Lamar Odom enters rehab
Odom was part of the Lakers’ back-to-back championship team in 2009 and 2010—serving as the first man off the bench and played a vital role towards the team’s triangle offense scheme.
After seven years with the Lakers, Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, where his numbers drastically dropped all across the board.
His personal life also took a toll, as he had to battle his own demons—particularly substance abuse—which led to a near fatal drug overdose in 2015.
READ: Ex-NBA champ Lamar Odom found unconscious in Nevada brothel
Odom’s highly publicised romance with reality star Khloe Kardashian also came to an end the same year. Khristian Ibarrola