Inside Lamar Odom’s Life Nearly 13 Years After His NBA Career Abruptly Ended in Controversy
Inside Lamar Odom’s Life Nearly 13 Years After His NBA Career Abruptly Ended in Controversy
Nasha SmithWed, April 1, 2026 at 2:53 PM UTC
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Lamar OdomCredit: Harry How/Getty; Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Lamar Odom was a force to be reckoned with throughout his time in the NBA — but off the court, he struggled with addiction.
The former forward reached the peak of his career when he won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. The following year, Odom earned the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, a first for the team. Despite his accomplishments, he was soon traded to the Dallas Mavericks and it was a move that made the athlete feel like his career "ended."
“I was never really myself ever again," he told Yahoo Sports in August 2017. "Being in L.A., the structure, the people I knew, it hurt leaving. I had great memories with the Lakers ... That was a special time in my life."
After playing with the Mavericks for one season and then returning to his original team, the Los Angeles Clippers, Odom still hadn't found a permanent home. Meanwhile, in his personal life, he was struggling with a drug addiction, which came to a head when he nearly overdosed at a Las Vegas brothel in October 2015.
Odom’s hardships and ongoing recovery are explored in the Netflix sports docuseries, Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, which premiered on March 31.
Here's a look at what has happened to Lamar Odom in the years since his public substance abuse incident and how it affected the rest of his career.
Odom showed a gift for basketball early on
Lamar Odom #5 of the Rhode Island Rams during Sparkletts Invitational on December 29, 1998 in Malibu, CaliforniaCredit: Vincent Laforet/Allsport via Getty
Odom’s path to the NBA wasn't straightforward. As a native from Queens, N.Y., he attended two high schools before settling at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Britain, Conn., according to ESPN.
His time at the now-defunct institution earned him Parade Player of the Year in 1997. Odom eventually landed at the University of Rhode Island, playing one season before declaring for the NBA Draft.
He earned several accolades during his time in the NBA, including with the Lakers
Lamar Odom #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket past Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors on October 7, 2009 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CaliforniaCredit: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty
Before heading to college, Odom first considered going pro and consulted Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who had made the jump a year prior, as Odom recalled to VladTV.
Odom decided he wasn’t ready and had a successful freshman season at the University of Rhode Island. In 1999, the rising star was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, earned First Team All-Conference honors and was the most valuable player of the Atlantic 10 tournament, per NBA.com.
That same year, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Odom as the fourth overall pick. During his debut, he scored 30 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Odom spent about four years with the Clippers before signing with the Miami Heat.
Despite a solid season alongside a young Dwyane Wade, Odom was part of a multi-player trade to the Los Angeles Lakers for star center Shaquille O’Neal.
Odom saw the most success in Los Angeles, where he won two NBA championships in the 2009 and 2010 seasons as part of a rotation that included Bryant, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher and childhood friend Ron Artest (now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest).
In 2011, Odom was the first player in Lakers history to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, for his consistent contributions off the bench, ESPN reported at the time. He went on to play for the Dallas Mavericks before returning to the Clippers for another stint in 2012.
Odom said that his trade to the Mavericks "ended" his career
Lamar Odom #7 of the Dallas Mavericks during a game on March 17, 2012 in Dallas, TexasCredit: Glenn James/NBAE via Getty
Odom has been at the center of several controversies throughout his time in the spotlight.
Toward the end of his second NBA season in March 2001, Odom was suspended for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, the Los Angeles Times reported. A similar incident happened later that November.
A decade later, in July 2011, Odom experienced tragedy when his cousin was shot and killed. While attending the funeral in New York City, the chauffeured car he was in was involved in a deadly pedestrian accident, per the Los Angeles Times.
The following month, the Lakers traded Odom to the Dallas Mavericks, a move he struggled with.
“That trade from the Lakers basically ended my career and purpose,” he told Yahoo Sports in August 2017. “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?”
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He has had run-ins with the law and struggled with addiction
Lamar Odom on 'Good Morning America' on May 28, 2019Credit: Matt Petit/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Odom played one season with the Mavericks before returning to the Clippers in 2012. After his final run with them, Odom entered free agency in 2013 but didn't land a contract despite interest. While his career on the court began to slow down, Odom's personal life was seemingly unraveling.
That August, Odom was in California when he was arrested for a DUI. He later reached a plea agreement and received three years of probation, agreed to attend a three-month alcohol-education program and was asked to pay $1,800 in fines and penalties. In addition, Odom checked himself into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, sources confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
Over two years later, in October 2015, Odom was found unconscious at the Love Ranch, a legal brothel in Las Vegas. He had overdosed on drugs and alcohol. The basketball star was transported to a Las Vegas hospital, where he was comatose and remained on life support. He later revealed details of the ordeal in his 2019 book Darkness to Light.
“There was an unholy concoction of cocaine, cognac and cannabis coursing through my veins,” Odom wrote. “My heart stopped twice. I had twelve seizures and six strokes. My lungs collapsed and my kidneys ruptured. I was on life support. Everyone I’d ever loved was looking at me through bleary eyes.”
At the time, he was estranged from wife Khloé Kardashian, whom he married in 2009. In response, she halted their impending divorce to help make medical decisions for him.
Odom was eventually transferred to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where he remained until January, and then followed that with recovery at a private rehabilitation facility. Afterward, Kardashian rented a house fully equipped with a chef and caretaker for Odom near her home, but their relationship soured when she realized he was using again, including crack cocaine.
“Once you know the smell of crack, it’s the most identifiable, disgusting smell, and there’s nothing that you can confuse it with,” she explained in the Netflix documentary Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom. “And I remember stopping by the house, and I smelled crack.”
After Kardashian confirmed her suspicions, she gave Odom a deadline to vacate the premises and they didn’t speak for years. The former couple finalized their divorce in December 2016.
Odom abruptly ended his time on the court
Lamar Odom appearing on 'Extra' at Universal Studios on February 22, 2018 in Universal City, CaliforniaCredit: Noel Vasquez/Getty
While trying to find his footing in his personal life, Odom was also in search for a new team.
After becoming a free agent, he signed with the Euroleague’s Laboral Kutxa Baskonia in 2014, though only played in two games. Odom then signed with the Knicks a few months later but was waived, ESPN reported.
"Unfortunately, Lamar was unable to uphold the standards to return as an NBA player," then-Knicks president Phil Jackson said in a statement. "We found it necessary to free up the roster spot."
After briefly considering playing in the Chinese Basketball Association, he joined Philippine club Mighty Sports, according to ESPN.
Odom's last brush with organized professional basketball came via rapper Ice Cube’s 3x3 basketball league, the Big3. He played with the Enemies but was deactivated before the 2019 season.
He has continued to work on his sobriety amid a recent arrest
Lamar Odom in 'Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Odom was arrested for an alleged DUI and two traffic violations in January 2026. Shortly after, he sought treatment for cannabis addiction in a 30-day program at iRely Recovery in Los Angeles. He pled not guilty and trial is set for July 7.
“After a recent incident, he took a step back to reflect and address triggers he’s been dealing with,” his manager, Gina Rodriguez, told PEOPLE. She added that it was Odom's decision to “reset and focus on his health.”
He later told USA Today in March 2026 that he was almost 60 days sober as of January 28.
“No pot, no alcohol. I think, with me, stopping the marijuana was probably the hardest,” he said.
The 6’10” champion is now sharing his story in Netflix’s latest installment of its sports docuseries Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom. His episode looks back at his divorce from Kardashian and goes in-depth on his near encounter with death.
“All of my doctors say I'm like a walking miracle ... so I just take it day by day, and I’m more than grateful for life," Odom said in the documentary.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
