Lamar Odom is a retired professional basketball player but has continued to come into the limelight through his relationship and subsequent marriage to Khloe Kardashian’s youngest sister, Khloe Kardashian. As a result of their union, Lamar starred in the family’s successful television series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
However, Lamar’s drug abuse and growing personal problems took their toll on his NBA career and eventually led to his divorce from Khloe. Follow us as we reveal facts about Lamar Odom.
Is Lamar Odom Dead?
No! Lamar Odom is not dead, but he is alive and doing very well. However, after his collapse due to drug abuse in October 2015, he was the victim of a death prank. The media did not learn of this until September 2017, when the Kardashians unveiled it during the shooting of the 10th anniversary of their successful reality TV show.
As the K-Sisters reported, someone sent Kim Kardashian an email saying that Lamar died after he was taken to the hospital when he was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel. It turned out, however, that the information was fake information that had been sent to Kim through a fake account.
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Kim immediately texted her sisters about Lamar’s passing before she later learned the truth that it was just false information.
“I screamed,” Khloe said when he learned of Lamar’s death during the 10th-anniversary episode. “Thinking and pretending that someone died is the most traumatic thing you can do, and then knowing that he’s alive, that was probably too many emotions for any of us to handle.
Whoever sent the email had a slim chance because Lamar would be in a coma for 4 days afterward with very little chance of survival. Miraculously he survived, which would have been tantamount to death by drug overdose. The doctors found some of the drugs he had overdosed, including herbal Viagra.
The intensive physiotherapy that followed helped Lamar get out of this deadly drug relapse.
Odom himself wrote about his near-death experience in October 2015 in an open article on the Player’s Tribune.
Lamar Odom Wiki, Dad
Lamar Joseph Odom was born on November 6, 1979, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, the son of Joe Odom and Cathy Mercer. Unfortunately, Lamar’s mother Cathy died one year before Lamar became a teenager. To make matters worse, Lamar’s father Joe was hardly ever seen in the picture.
A heroin addict, Joe had little or nothing to contribute to Lamar’s upbringing. However, Lamar later developed a relationship with his estranged father, who later began to contribute financially to his academics.
Lamar was left in the care of his maternal grandparents, who raised him into adulthood. Lamar grew up in a gang-infested neighborhood and began playing basketball at the age of 7 to stay out of trouble. He played on the basketball team at his school, Christ The King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens, which he attended for three years before being sent to the Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, New York, due to poor grades.
A change of school had little effect on Lamar’s grades, however, as he still failed his tests. He later transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Connecticut where he eventually graduated,
Although Lamar struggled in the classroom, his size and physical strength gave him an advantage on the basketball court. He soon achieved national recognition after being named the 1997 Parade Player of the Year.
Hoping to go pro, Lamar attended the University of Nevada, and once again he was transferred to the University of Rhode Island due to academic problems. In Rhode Island, Lamar participated in the 1999 NBA draft and was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the fourth overall selection. His contract was worth 7.88 million dollars for 3 years.
After an amazing rookie season, Lamar leaped the NBA All-Rookie First Team 2000, but unfortunately, Lamar went into a drug frenzy at the end of his second season. This led to him being suspended twice within 8 months.
After his contract with the Clippers ended, Lamar signed with Miami Heat as a restricted free agent. He spent one season (2002/2003) with the team before moving to the LA Lakers where his career picked up speed again. He spent 6 seasons with the team and won two NBA championship titles in 2009 and 2010.
Lamar joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, but it was the beginning of the end of his career because since then things have only gone downhill. He was switched back to the LA Clippers, but he struggled to get back on track. In 2014, Lamar went to Europe, where he played briefly for Spanish Laboral Kutxa Baskonia before ending his career.
Height: 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)
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Wife, Girlfriend, Kids, Son
Lamar had two serious relationships that the media knows about. The first was with Liza Morales, a relationship that started when they were in grade school. The two had three children together, but one, son Jayden, died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome six months after his birth in 2005.
His other two children with Liza are Destiny, born in 1998, and Lamar Jr., born in 2002.
After separating from Liza, Lamar met Khloe Kardashian at the party of Artest (his teammate from Laker). After a month-long date, they got married in 2009 at a wedding that was broadcast on TV on KUWTK. Despite many attempts, Lamar and Khloe had no children.
They separated in 2013 and finalized their divorce in 2016. Khloe had to put the divorce proceedings on hold in 2015 to be at Lamar’s side after Lamar’s near-death experience.
Lamar Odom Net Worth
In an NBA career that spanned 15 years, Lamar alone earned $115 million in salary. His biggest season was the 2008-2009 season when he earned $14.1 million.
His endorsement partners included Taco Bell and Wrigley. At the peak of his career, Lamar Odom was credited with a net worth estimated at over $50 million, but as his difficulties increased, so did his wealth. His net worth is now estimated at $30 million.
Lamar’s net worth is based not only on his NBA career but also on his music and film production company Rich Soil Entertainment, as well as his performance with KUWTK and the spin-off Khloe and Lamar. With the former, he earned over $800,000 a year, with the latter over $50,000.
