Will Lamar Odom Play Basketball Again? Source Says ‘He’ll Return’
Once he’s finished dealing with the debilitating fallout of his alleged drug overdose, Lamar Odom will return to play basketball again.
At least, that’s what a source told Hollywood Life.
“Lamar has vowed to Khloe, friends and family that he’ll return to the basketball court one day. Obviously, he needs a lot of rehab before that could ever happen, but it’s his end goal at the end of everything. Basketball is still his first love, and he’s always made sure to keep in shape, even when he was a free agent, in the hope that he may get signed again.”
The source goes on to tell Hollywood Life that, at this point, the 35-year-old Odom has no illusions about playing professionally again.
“This return wouldn’t be professional. If it’s just to shoot some hoops with friends, former teammates, that is what he is aiming for.”
On Oct. 13, Lamar Odom was found unconscious in a Las Vegas-area brothel by two brothel employees. Odom was rushed to the Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas where he spent several days in a coma before eventually waking and responding to doctors.
Odom has since been moved to Cedars Sinai Medial Center in Los Angeles where he can be near his wife, Khloe Kardashian who, reportedly, has not left Lamar’s side since news of his hospitalization broke. Before the news, the pair were going through divorce proceedings, but Khloe and Lamar have since called off their divorce.
According to the 911 call, Odom allegedly fell unconscious after taking a dangerous combination of cocaine and a sexual performance-enhancing drug.
Recent reports indicate that Odom has undergone two emergency surgeries. In addition, the former Los Angeles Laker and Keeping Up With the Kardashians star could need a new kidney, and sources say he has sustained as many as 12 strokes. At one point, reports indicated that Odom was not able to stand on his own. Needless to say, Odom has a long road to rehabilitation ahead of him, but the Hollywood Life source reports that Odom has vowed to play basketball once again, even if just for fun.
Lamar Odom played for four different NBA teams over the course of 14 years, and in 2011, was awarded the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Despite his successful professional career, Odom hasn’t played a day in the NBA since the 2012-2013 season, where he played the final game of his NBA career in the same place he started — with the Los Angeles Clippers.
In July of 2013, Odom became a free agent, and after failing to find a new home in the NBA, traveled to Spain, where he played two games for Laboral Kutxa. Odom later signed a partial-season contract in 2014 with the New York Knicks, though he never appeared in a game for the team. The Knicks later waived him.
In 2011, the NBA produced a video profiling Lamar Odom’s basketball ability and attitude as a consummate teammate and professional. In that video, Lamar’s basketball consistency and versatility is credited with making the Los Angeles Lakers “perennial championship contenders.”
There’s no doubt that Lamar Odom’s skill and attitude made him a champion on the basketball court, but now fans will be looking to the former Khloe & Lamar star to see if that attitude can transfer to the battle ahead. According to reports, Lamar is embarrassed at his situation and is in a “fragile state of mind.”
Do you think Lamar Odom will play basketball again in the future, even if it’s just for fun? Why or why not?
For more information about Lamar Odom’s current condition, check out the video below.
[Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Sport]
