In Kevin Hart’s viral sports-themed interview series, Cold As Balls, from Hart and Lionsgate’s Laugh Out Loud Network. the new season dives right back in with an equally funny and honest interview with former Dallas Maverick and two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom.
Odom is infamously known by MFFLs from his brief and uncomfortable ride with the Dallas Mavericks back in 2012. He was traded to the Mavs in December 2011 following their Championship season, in exchange for a first-round pick and an $8.9 million trade exception after then-NBA Commissioner David Stern vetoed a deal that would have sent Odom to the Rockets and Chris Paul to the Lakers.
Following the trade and the death of his cousin, Odom began a brutal downhill spiral that included a drug addiction.
Odom’s addiction eventually reached a breaking point when overdosed on cocaine and opiates at a Las Vegas brothel and nearly lost his life. Odom told Hart, he fell into a coma and suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks.
“What was Lamar going through at that time?” Hart asked.
“Probably anxiety. Anxiety has always been real bad for me,” Odom said. “It’s crazy because I made a living playing in front of 20,000 people.”
Odom shared that living life in the public eye has always been a challenge for him.
“It made it tough to go outside,” he said. “Every day, waking up, watching TMZ to see if you’re going to be on it for the wrong reasons. It’s not a comfortable feeling.”
In the episode, Lamar opens up about his struggle with anxiety, dealing with the media backlash during his most difficult times, and what it meant to have his ex-wife Khloe Kardashian show up for him after the infamous Bunny Ranch visit.
“All my doctors that see me say I’m a walking miracle,” Odom said.
Odom played just 50 games, averaging only 6.6 points, and 4.2 rebounds on 35 percent shooting during his short stint with the Mavs. He spent all, but two of his 14 NBA seasons on LA teams, winning NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.
He retired from the NBA after the 2012-13 season.
No matter how you feel about Odom’s time in Dallas, it’s good to see him get his on what seems to be the right path following his near brush with death. He reportedly could play in China this season.
Watch Cold As Balls on Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network YouTube channel, a joint venture brainchild of Hart and Lionsgate.
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