Former Laker Lamar Odom recently signed a contract with the Spanish team Laboral Kutxa Baskonia after his pursuit to revitalize his NBA career proved unsuccessful. With some advice from former teammate Pau Gasol, Odom chose the same team that has sent Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, Tiago Splitter and Jose Calderon to the NBA.
In his first game with Baskonia, Odom was unimpressive, playing only six minutes and totaling only two rebounds and three fouls. The 34-year-old then sat out the entire second half due body aches and pains from his long travels.
Unfortunately, these aches and pains did not subside after his first game. According to Marc Stein of ESPN, they continued to be problematic for Odom:
Odom is expected to miss at least a month because of the persistent back issue, which prompted his new Spanish team to allow Odom to return to the United States this week for further evaluation and treatment.
The power forward is only under a two-month contract with Baskonia, which leaves some uncertainty regarding his future in the Spanish league. Odom, however, does have the option to extend his contract through the remainder of the Spanish season.
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Many NBA players go abroad with the intentions of snagging an opportunity to return to the NBA, but Odom’s original plan was to play in Europe for the rest of the 2013-2014 season. Only time will tell if his recent return to the U.S. may steer him in another direction.
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