In terms of pure talent, Lamar Odom was one of the most gifted basketball players of his generation. He had point guard skills at 6’10 with an excellent handle and court vision while also being capable of scoring at all three levels. He was a major part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010 and would also win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2011.
But for all of his NBA success, Odom is also a player who never quite lived up to his immense potential. He was never named an All-Star or made an All-NBA team and his off-court demons are well-documented at this point. Odom dealt with major tragedies in his life and he struggled with drug addiction for many years.
Odom recently spoke on this in an appearance on the Cousins podcast with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, where he revealed that while he didn’t do drugs during the season, he would party hard during the offseason:
“Nah. Summertime I did though. I ain’t gonna front. You get drug tested like four times [in-season]. If you get caught for sniffing cocaine, that suspension is gonna be crazy. I had some great cocaine summers though…That was my way of beating the system. Just partying hard during the summer time.”
And when asked whether his offseason habits affected how good he could be, Odom admitted that he feels he would be in the Hall of Fame if not for his battles with addiction:
“Hell yea. 100% I should be where ya’ll at in the Hall of Fame. I had people coming to me before I got to the NBA saying ‘yo you a hall of famer’…Let’s keep it real with you, I shot a reality show in-season, that means I was playing in the game, winning 6th man of the year and shooting a reality show. I knew I had the grit and the makeup especially if you put me on the spot I’m gonna get it done but I think about overall legacy and greatness, yea I hurt that by using drugs but I’m gonna stand on that. I think about my life and the ups and the downs, I probably been put here to do something more than just play basketball.”
No one will ever question that Odom had Hall of Fame talent and quite simply the Lakers don’t win those championships without everything he brought to that team. He absolutely could have been a multi-time All-Star and all-time great.
But the difference between great players and Hall of Famers is everything else other than talent. It is the mindset, work ethic and dedication that lifts the greats to the other worldly levels. But as Odom said, he was likely put on this earth for more than basketball and by him being open about his story and struggles he stands to help a lot of people going through the same things, and that is far greater than any sporting accomplishment.
Tony Bennett’s draft advisor role with Lakers explained
The Lakers would love to find a player with a Lamar Odom level of talent in the draft and the team recently hired Tony Bennett as a new NBA Draft advisor to general manager Rob Pelinka. And his role with the team was recently outlined.
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