Keeping up with Lamar

Did you ever notice how often we use the word interesting? We throw that word around as frequently as we do the word “the.” It will be interesting. That’s interesting. Or we use the word interesting by itself. Well let me say without any doubt, Lamar Odom is an interesting person. There are parts of his life that are very much like we have heard about other athletes. Born in Queens, NY. Dad is a drug addict. Mom died while Lamar was still a kid. Raised by grandma. Throw in the common story that he went to three high schools and was heavily recruited out of high school to play at some of the best college basketball programs in the country. He was also named as Parade Magazine’s high school basketball player of the year in 1997. He committed to playing at UNLV, but was busted for illegally taking money from boosters, and was forced to transfer to the University of Rhode Island. In just one year, he led them to the Elite 8 of March Madness. Odom was then selected as the fourth overall player in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. If the story ends here, it’s the typical Horatio Alger tale. Young upstart faces many challenges, defies the odds and achieves beyond anyone’s expectations. In real life, it’s never that clean or easy.

Ahh yes, real life. Lamar can be brilliant, Lamar can be high on candy (and not candy as a code word for drugs, I actually mean candy). Lamar can be flat out, well, Lamar. Any basketball fan has said these words, “Lamar Odom has as much talent as anyone in the NBA.” But then it’s followed up with something like, “If only he had the heart or work ethic.” Well let me say this, Lamar Odom definitely has heart. I got a chance to see him up close briefly at the 2000 NBA All-Star weekend in Oakland. Most people remember that weekend as the Vince Carter Slam Dunk Show. I remember plenty of things, most memorable being meeting Magic Johnson. I also watched as John Thompson walked up to and kissed some of the most beautiful women in the world. I saw Allan Iverson walk past me and realized he was maybe an inch or two taller than me. I also remember two rookies, Steve Francis and Lamar Odom. While Francis, who also had some talent, was very unmemorable, Odom was holding court with many other players in the league. He was also respectful of the legends at the extravaganza and understood the food chain of the NBA. 

In 2004, Odom was traded from the Miami Heat to the Los Angeles Lakers. Right away he became a fan favorite. No question he became the 2^nd most popular player on the team. He was asked to be the Robin to Kobe Bryant’s Batman. But along the way, everyone could see something missing. There were nights where Odom would put up solid 20-point, 10-rebound games and do so with incredible ease. Other nights he just looked uninterested or unable to rise to the occasion of a pressure situation. He was struggling to be even the 2^nd option, let alone a star. It’s hard to decide whether Odom wearing his emotions on his sleeve is a good thing or a bad thing. We want our players to be cold heart killers at times and not let the pressure of the moment get too big for them. However, there are times us as fans love to see the player unable control their emotions when on cloud nine after a big play. That’s what Odom can do at times but on an inconsistent basis. 

And I guess that is another good word to describe Lamar Odom, inconsistent. His life has been inconsistent, from the tragic death of his six month old infant due to SIDS disease, to his helping the Lakers to win back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. In fact, it was after the 2^nd championship that Lamar met his wife, Khloe Kardashian. What was it, six days before they became engaged? I guess that sort of thing is on par with Lamar Odom’s life. You never know what is going to come next. Odom certainly didn’t know that the Lakers were going to try to trade him to the New Orleans Hornets. We all know that’s what comes with the territory. It can be normal life for an NBA player. But in a radio interview, Odom all but wept on the air for all of southern California to hear. Even though he was saying other things about being shocked about the decision and not being told about it up front, let’s read between the lines. What he was really trying to say is how much he loves the city of Los Angeles and loves the Lakers organization. He took less money to be on a winning team. He even sacrificed a starting role and playing time to come off the bench and do what was best for the team. In the end, I guess it just wasn’t enough. Lamar Odom has been a great player for the Lakers. He should fit in very well with his new team, the Dallas Mavericks. Good luck to Lamar and we look forward to seeing him and Khloe do Dallas on the E! Network. It should be interesting.