Retired NBA player Lamar Odom. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Although once considered as one of the most skilled forwards in the league, former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom had had a life riddled with tragedies.
The two-time NBA champion’s public fall from grace left him squandering his professional career and fighting for his life after overdosing on cocaine inside a Nevada brothel in 2015.
READ: Ex-NBA champ Lamar Odom found unconscious in Nevada brothel
Almost two years after the horrific incident, the 37-year-old finally opened up about his downward spiral and his newfound sobriety.
“Living sober, meaning no drugs, is a great feeling,” he told US Magazine. “Being in the moment is important—how you react, respond, create. If I would have done coke last night, you would have gotten some d**khead here trying to get out of here fast. But you’re getting Lamar now.”
After resisting multiple temptations upon his recovery—to the point of checking himself back to rehab last December to avoid relapsing—Odom said his daughter ultimately got him off his addiction.
NBA: Ex-Laker Lamar Odom enters rehab
“My daughter gave me the ultimatum to go. She said, “Pops, you get help or I won’t talk to you,” Odom shared. “I think she saw it in my behavior. Coke is a real psychological drug. You can be getting high and feeling great and then on the way down cursing yourself out.”
He also admitted that drugs were definitely the reason his playing career was cut short.
“I was just trying to get high. My life was all about drugs at that point. It probably helped the end of my career come along a little faster because drugs killed my drive to want to train and be in shape,” he said.
Odom played 14 seasons in the NBA and suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He had career averages of 13.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Khristian Ibarrola /ra
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