Lamar Odom is opening up about his relationship with former teammate Kobe Bryant. The former Lakers played together for several years before Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Odom has reflected fondly on his former teammates over the years and recently opened up about the dreams he has had with Kobe since his passing.
Lamar Odom’s end with the Lakers came as an upset for Kobe Bryant, who did not like how the team did his friend. Odom was part of a failed attempt by the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul. When plans to get Paul fell through, Odom was still traded at the price of a low first-round draft. Bryant told the Los Angeles Times around the time of the trade, “I don’t like it.” Bryant went on to say that his history with Lamar Odom went back several years, and he had always valued the versatility he brought to the team. “He’s a big presence for us in the locker room, just from a team chemistry standpoint. He’s great at bringing guys together and things of that nature.” Bryant went on to say that he trusted management and did not want to tell them how to do their job, but he still had a hard time parting with his buddy. “I never get in the way, but it’s tough. You’re talking about sixth man of the year last year. He played lights out.”
Even though their relationship on the court ended, Kobe remained a constant in Odom’s life in the years to follow. Lamar went through a lot towards the tail end of his run in the NBA. From his marriage to Khloe Kardashian to his drug addiction. Lamar even fell into a coma at one point after being found unresponsive in a brothel.
Kobe Bryant reportedly left the MGM Grand Garden Arena immediately following the Lakers game against the Kings to visit his former teammate in the hospital. According to souces, Kobe Bryant was floored by the news of Lamar Odom being on life support. Kobe Bryant also stepped in to help his friend pay off a massive gambling debt, but not before giving Lamar a piece of his mind.
While recalling his final conversations with Kobe on All The Smoke Podcast, Odom says that when he could no longer handle his debt, Kobe was the first person he reached out to. “I had been gambling. What I owed got too steep for where I was at at that time. It was getting tight. If you was in a bad situation, he ain’t the one you want to call. I put my pride to the side and gave him a call.” Odom was sad as he reflected and fought back tears. Odom had such a hard time accepting Kobe’s passing that he texted his number for weeks after he died.
Odom is still in recovery and working through own addiction . He traveled to Mexico to try a controversial hallucinogenic called ibogaine which allowed him to see his late son Jayden and speak with his mother and grandmother. The former Laker claims the substance last for a couple of hour and was so strong that he was hoping it would stop, but he would be open to trying it again since he was able to visit his son.
Odom is used to being visited by the deceased, and says that when he was in the Big Brother house in February, that Kobe Bryant came to him in several dreams “He just looked back to me and said, ‘LO, the afterlife ain’t what people make it up to be,’ and I just kinda woke up,” he recalled. Following getting out of the house, he got a tattoo to honor Kobe.
Of course Lamar’s story was met with a mixture of criticism and support. Many fans believe the former NBA player is telling the truth about his experience. Others left comments telling Lamar Odom to leave all of those substances alone.
