Lamar Odom's Off The Field Behavior Confirms What We Suspected All Along
It's been a tough couple of years for Lamar Odom. After he retired from the NBA, the basketball player, who also happens to be Khloé Kardashian's ex-husband, experienced a near-fatal incident, something that he admitted was hard to recover from.
Odom had long battled drug addiction, and in October 2015, he was found unconscious in a brothel in Nevada. He said that, at the time, he was doing cocaine "pretty much every second of free time" and that he "couldn't control it." He didn't even have any particular reason for doing drugs. "It was just an asinine decision I made," he wrote in an essay published on The Player's Tribune. "If I knew that it was going to affect my life the way it did, I would've never even thought about it. Never. But I did it. It turned out to be a life-altering decision."
Now it looks like Odom is making a valiant effort to turn his life around. Following his breakup from ex-fiancé Sabrina Parr, he revealed everything he has been doing to put himself in a better place.
Lamar Odom says he's 'free' from the demons that once plagued him
Lamar Odom wants everyone to know that he has left his complicated past behind. In a lengthy post on Instagram, the former Los Angeles Lakers player revealed how he left his ex-fiancé Sabrina Parr a year ago because they were "toxic independently and collectively." He said that doing so "broke my heart but saved my soul," and that it almost made him go back to his old ways.
Odom recounted how he had to resort to marijuana and being with a "slew of random women" to avoid feeling lonely, but one day, his soul "opened up" and he realized that he needed to start fresh. 'I wanted and needed to change for ME! My team had worked hard to get me a fresh start. I had to honor that," he said. All his efforts seem to have paid off, as he is now completely sober. "Today, I am free. Drug free. Marijuana free. Relationship free," he wrote. "I am rebuilding a relationship with myself. With my family. I am focused on my faith. My growth. My brand. I am a legend. I own that. I am a recovering addict. I own that too."
And while he is admittedly still a work in progress, he's grateful that his team reminds him of his achievements. He also expressed his utmost gratitude to those who remained supportive of him throughout the whole ordeal. "I truly love you all for loving me," he said.
Lamar Odom 'learned a lot' about himself through his relationship with Sabrina Parr
Lamar Odom does not look back at his previous engagement to Sabrina Parr with fond memories. In March, the former NBA star appeared on "The Real" and opined about his relationship with Parr, calling her "very deceitful" and that he "really used to like take her word for everything." Odom further continued the tongue-lashing of Parr, noting that she was out for "clout or fame."
The basketball player further revealed that Parr "was like really lying to me the whole time, but I guess she got what she wanted; that was the blue check" — a reference to official celebrity verification on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. "I guess I was good for something," he added.
Though Odom didn't have many positive things to say about his former fiancée, he did admit to learning about himself through their relationship amidst the pandemic. "I guess I learned a lot about my patience. Because during a pandemic, if you choose to be around someone, you're around them all the time with nowhere to go," Odom stated on "Addiction Talk" (via Showbiz CheatSheet). He further added that he "kind of learned about how flexible I was and how much I can take and learned a lot about myself [and] I learned about wouldn't stand for what I wouldn't take."
Lamar Odom expressed gratitude for Khloé Kardashian and her family
Lamar Odom is back on the come-up, but he wouldn't be where he is today without the help of many people. In particular, Odom named ex-wife Khloé Kardashian and her family as his saving graces. Recalling a time when he was "so out of control" on cocaine, Odom got candid on "Addiction Talk" (via Showbiz CheatSheet) and noted the "extreme amount of love" he received from KHloé and mom Kris Jenner after they took him to rehab.
"I'm putting anything in my mouth, sniffing anything," Odom stated, adding that he "was so out of control I guess the girl [I was with] called Khloé." He noted that "the clan pulled up, like the A-Team, and out of love they took me right to the rehab."
Speaking to Showbiz CheatSheet, Odom expressed remorse for his past actions toward the Kardashian family and revealed that he is "grateful" for all they've done for him. "As long as there isn't any hate or ill will, I'm solid with that," Odom told the outlet. "But if there is I would like to say I'm sorry and hopefully make it up one day."