Lamar Odom Details Drug-Addiction, Near-Death Experiences On Players’ Tribune

Lamar Odom has come a long way and still has further to go.

The former NBA player published a powerful essay Thursday in the Players’ Tribune, in which he described his ongoing battle with drug addiction and the time he woke up in a Nevada hospital bed after spending four days in a coma.

Odom’s piece perhaps represents his most moving insight into his own fall from grace and subsequent recovery efforts.

“If I knew that it was going to affect my life the way it did, I would’ve never even thought about it,” Odom said about cocaine. “Never. But I did it. It turned out to be a life-altering decision.

For Odom, death and addiction seem to go hand-in-hand, as he has had to cope with the loss of those he loves most, including his mother, grandmother and infant son. It was only when Odom confronted his own mortality in October 2015 when he began seeking help for his daily cocaine use.

Rather than us trying to interpret Odom’s words, we recommend you read them yourself.

Click to read Odom’s Players’ Tribune letter in full >>

Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images