Los Angeles is all Lamar Odom has ever known.
The former NBA forward was drafted No. 4 overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Clippers, with whom he spent four seasons. After a brief stint with the Miami Heat for the 2003-04 season, Odom returned to L.A. to join the Lakers. The versatile forward thrived in his seven seasons with the Purple and Gold, as he was a key component of two championship-winning teams.
But after the 2010-11 season in which he took home Sixth Man of the Year honors, the Lakers moved on from Odom, trading him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a first-round pick and cash considerations. Odom, now 37, believes being traded from the Lakers doomed his future in the league.
“That trade from the Lakers basically ended my career and purpose,” Odom told The Vertical. “I was never really myself ever again. Being in L.A., the structure, the people I knew, it hurt leaving. I had great memories with the Lakers, with Kobe and Pau. That was a special time in my life.
“I got traded the season after we lost to Dallas in the playoffs, and I had won Sixth Man of the Year for the team. To trade me after winning Sixth Man of the Year … what else do I got to do? Why?
“I think about it all the time, about how much I had left in the tank. I had issues going on. But barring injury, could I play in the NBA today? I could play. I should still be playing.”
Odom only would play two seasons following the trade: one with the Mavericks and one with the Clippers. Odom also has battled drug addiction and in October of 2015, he was in a coma and placed on life support after being discovered unconscious at a Nevada brothel. Recovery has gone well for Odom, though, and he looks forward to reconciling with the Lakers.
“My family looks forward to me retiring as a Laker more than me,” Odom told The Vertical. “I’m not really emotional about being praised, about signing for a day. I’m shy at the end of the day. For my son, for my family, for my fans, they may enjoy that day. It’s for them.
“I ain’t celebrating not playing no more. In life though, I’ve learned to live with regrets.”
Odom hopes to be involved with basketball at some capacity in the future, as he’s considered coaching and maybe even playing in the BIG3 League.
Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
