A year ago at this time, we saw Lamar Odom fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital, having come back from the brink of death.
Now, he’s finalized his divorce from Khloe Kardashian and is fresh out of rehab.
As we hope that he’s finally back on track, it’s worth sadly remembering all the former basketball star has been through.
How can one person endure so much, from youth to adulthood? And can we expect things to turn out any differently this time?
Read. Think. Discuss.
Left All Alone
Lamar’s mother died of cancer when he as 12 years old. His father, Joe Odom, was addicted to heroine and scarcely in the picture when Odom was a child.
Off-Court Troubles
Odom was a high school phenom on the basketball court. However, academic troubles (along with a citation for soliciting prostitution) plagued Odom prior to him transferring from UNLV to the University of Rhode Island.
On to the NBA
Odom was selected fourth overall in the 1999 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. A couple years later, he was suspended twice in an eight-month span for marijuana use.
Goodbye to Grandma
In 2003, Odom’s maternal grandmother Mildred, who helped raise him, passed away.
An Unspeakable Loss
Three years later, Odom’s 6-month-old son, Jayden, died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome while sleeping in his crib.
Another Death in the Family
In 2011, a 24-year-old cousin to whom Lamar was close was murdered while Odom was in New York to shoot a Nike commercial.
A Fatal Accident
After attending his cousin’s funeral, Odom was a passenger in an SUV that was in an accident that took the life oa a 15-year-old boy.
Off the Wagon
Odom appeared to have his life back on track while married to Khloe. But he fell off the wagon in the summer of 2013, disappearing for a time and later admitting to infidelity.
Arrested
Odom was arrested for drunk driving in late August of 2013.
Smoking Crack
In November 2013, a video surfaced of Lamar seemingly high on crack, talking about cheating on Khloe with a friend, Watch it above.
More Death
In the summer of 2015, two close friends (one of whom appeared in the aforementioned video) died of drug-related incidents.
And Now This
After filing for divorce from Khloe and after seeing his final stint in the NBA (with the Knicks) fail to work out, Odom mostly went silent. But we tragically heard all about him again after a multi-day party at a Nevada brothel left him in critical condition.
Recovery … and Relapse
Lamar’s near-death experience couldn’t even convince him to change his ways. Khloe kicked him out of the house she rented for him after allegedly finding crack on him, then filed for divorce. Again.
On to Rehab
Lamar may never regain his NBA form, but he has his whole life ahead of him. We only hope that this time, rehab takes, and he’s able to turn the corner.
Another Collapse
In November of 2017, as you can read about above, he collapsed inside a nightclub in California.