Odom was born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, to Joe Odom and Cathy Mercer.[3] His father was a heroin addict, and Odom's mother died of colon cancer when he was twelve years old.[4][5] At her deathbed, Odom's mom told him: "Be nice to everybody".[6] Afterwards, he was raised by his maternal grandmother, Mildred Mercer.[3]

In his first three years of high school, Odom played for Christ The King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens.[7] He left the school at the start of his senior year due to poor grades,[3] transferring first to Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, New York and then to the now-defunct St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Britain, Connecticut, where he was coached by Jerry DeGregorio.[7][8] As a senior, Odom was recognized nationally as the Parade Player of the Year in 1997.[9] He also was named to the Parade All-American First Team for the second consecutive year,[10] and earned USA Today All-USA 1st Team honors.[11] During his youth, Odom was teamed with future NBA players Elton Brand and Ron Artest (later known as Metta World Peace) (and both of whom would be teammates with Odom on both the Clippers and Lakers respectively) on the same AAU team,[12] and played with future Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant at Adidas ABCD camps.[3] Adidas executive Sonny Vaccaro commented at the time that Odom possessed a "$2 million smile".

College career

Odom contemplated entering the NBA directly out of high school, and consulted with Bryant, who had made the jump a year earlier. He decided he was not ready, and decided to attend the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.[3] However, after a Sports Illustrated report questioned his unexpectedly high score of 22 out of 36 in the ACT, the school released him in July 1997 before he ever played a game for them. That same summer, he received a citation for soliciting prostitution following an undercover operation by the Las Vegas police.[14] Later, an NCAA inquiry found Odom received payments amounting to $5,600 from booster David Chapman.[15] Coach Bill Bayno was fired and UNLV was placed on probation for four years.[16]

Odom transferred to the University of Rhode Island but was forced to sit out the 1997–98 season.[17] He was admitted as a non-matriculating student, and was not allowed to play intramural basketball.[3] His room and board was paid for by his father, who was covered by the G.I. Bill. After two semesters and a summer session, Odom earned his eligibility to play basketball.[7] His career at Rhode Island had been in jeopardy after the first semester, when he vanished before finals. However, Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick persuaded three of his four instructors to allow him to make up his work. The coach also had Odom work with DeGregorio, who had become a Rams assistant and was the player's closest friend in college.[3][7] Odom was also inspired by his maternal grandmother, a nurse who had raised five children and returned to school to earn her degree in 1980 at age 56.[7]

Odom played one season for the Rams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, where he averaged 17.6 points per game and led the Rams to the conference championship in 1999.[18] He earned first-team all-conference honors and was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. He was named the most valuable player of the Atlantic 10 Tournament after his three-pointer against Temple University at the buzzer[8] gave the Rams their first A-10 Tournament title.[citation needed]

National team career

Chauncey Billups (left) and Odom holding 2010 FIBA World Championship trophy.

Odom played in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens for the US national team, averaging 9.3 ppg while helping the U.S. to a bronze medal.[75]He was invited to play for the FIBA World Championships for 2006 but declined the invitation because of the tragic death of his son[76] and in 2007 because of a shoulder injury.[77]

Odom would, however, be invited back for the national team's run at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey where the U.S. would win gold for the first time since 1994.[78] Odom, being one of the elder statesmen on a young U.S. squad, served as a mentor for many of the younger players[79] and even played out of position at center for the tournament.[79] He led the U.S. in rebounds and finished the FIBA championships with double-doubles in the semi-final[80] and championship games[81] while becoming the first player in history to win both an NBA championship and FIBA gold in the same year.[78]

Player profile

Odom was renowned for the impact his positive personality had on his teams. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak called him "the most popular player in our locker room".[82] Odom valued the concept of a team and played unselfishly,[83] and was content deferring to teammates while playing a supporting role.[43] Standing at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), he was still adept at dribbling the ball and directing the offense, and could also rebound proficiently as a small forward.[43][44][82] He was able to score as a post player, on mid-range jumpers, as well as from outside. He could start a fast break with an outlook pass, finish it with a layup, or simply drive from coast to coast for a dunk.[44] Though he was a reserve on the Lakers championship teams, he typically finished games in place of starter Andrew Bynum.[83]

Odom was cooperative with the media, and provided both thoughtful and open responses.[82]

Personal life

Odom has his own music and film production company, Rich Soil Entertainment.[24] He appeared in a Taco Bell commercial with Charles Barkley during Super Bowl XLIV.[84]Additionally, Odom made a cameo on the second season of the HBO television series Entourage.

Odom is noted for his fondness for candy. Wrigley made a replica of the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy out of candy in celebration of the Lakers' victory in the 2009 Finals, and Odom's name is featured on the base.[85]

Odom had three children, Destiny (b. 1998),[86] Lamar Jr. (b. 2002)[87] and Jayden (2005–2006), with Liza Morales before they separated.[24] On June 29, 2006, 6½-month-old Jayden died from sudden infant death syndrome while sleeping in his crib in New York.[20][88] At the time, Odom was already in town for the funeral of an aunt.[13] Odom developed a relationship with his father, who became drug-free, but he remains closer to DeGregorio, whom he calls [his] "white dad".[3][6] DeGregorio is the godfather to Destiny and Lamar Jr.[3]

In September 2009, Odom married Khloé Kardashian after a month of dating.[89] He had met her at a party for Lakers teammate Artest.[83] Their wedding was featured on the E!reality-based series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, in which she stars. Odom became a fixture on the show and a household name to millions who were not already familiar with him as a basketball player.[13][90]

In December 2010, E! announced another spinoff from the series featuring Odom, Kardashian, and his two children from his previous relationship. The series, titled Khloé & Lamar, debuted on April 10, 2011.[91] Soon thereafter, Odom almost opted out of the show as the filming wore him down.[90] The series was canceled in 2012 after two seasons.

On August 30, 2013, Odom was arrested on charges of driving under the influence (DUI).[92] After the arrest, he refused to submit to a chemical test. Almost a week earlier, gossip websites had alleged that Odom had been abusing drugs, which prompted worried tweets from former teammates and coaches.[68][93] On December 9, Odom pleaded no contest to the DUI charges and accepted a sentence of three years' probation and three months of alcohol abuse treatment.[94] On December 13, after months of speculated separation, Kardashian filed for divorce from Odom and for legal restoration of her last name.[95] Divorce papers were signed by both parties in July 2015;[96][97][98] however, the divorce did not receive final approval from a judge before being dismissed by request in October 2015.[99][100][101]

On October 13, 2015, Odom was hospitalized after being discovered unconscious at the Love Ranch, a brothel in Crystal, Nevada.[102][103] He was in a coma and placed on life support in a hospital in Las Vegas for a few days before regaining consciousness. He had suffered several strokes and kidney failure.[104] He was transferred from Las Vegas to a Los Angeles hospital by medical transport.[105] In the aftermath of the incident, Odom and Kardashian decided to call off their divorce.[101] She explained that they had not reconciled but had withdrawn the divorce so that she might assist him in making medical decisions during his recovery.[106]

Odom's recovery has gone well.[107] On January 8, 2016, Odom's paternal aunt JaNean Mercer told Us Weekly that "the former NBA star is on the road to recovery after finally leaving the hospital earlier in the week."[107] She stated "Lamar continues to make remarkable strides."[107] Khloé Kardashian said "I’m just there to support and care for him. But he is doing amazing."[107] Odom told HollywoodLife that before the divorce of the couple, he plans to get Khloe Kardashian back and that he was okay with her filing for divorce.[108]

In popular culture

In 2015, he was #1 on the Google Trends list for living people, which measures the highest spikes in traffic over a sustained period compared to the previous year.^[109]