Drugs and alcohol never make your life better. Addiction is a terrible thing and ruins many people’s lives. Such is the sad case for NBA basketball star Lamar Odom.
Things seem to be going from bad to worse for this once great basketball player. As his career winds down Odom appears to have a major crack cocaine addiction. After being kicked out of the house by wife Khloe Kardashian, Odom disappeared for more than three days, reportedly on a bender, only to surface at a car wash in the San Fernando Valley in California last week. As reported in espn.go.com.
It’s a good thing he had a clean car. It may have helped police notice his vehicle when he was driving under the influence.
Odom was arrested on August 30th on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was taken into custody at 3:54 a.m. after a California Highway Patrol officer saw his white Mercedes-Benz traveling erratically on a San Fernando Valley Freeway. The CHP report said Odom's car was observed traveling in a "serpentine manner" before he pulled off the freeway.
Apparently Odom continued to drive when authorities tried to pull him over before he eventually stopped. Odom showed signs of intoxication and was unable to perform field sobriety tests. At the Van Nuys jail, Odom refused all chemical tests.
The 33-year-old Odom was staying at a Los Angeles hotel and friends were trying to help him deal with a drug problem. TMZ also reported that people close to Odom feared he was involved with drugs.
Odom spent last season with the Los Angeles Clippers and has been pursued in free agency this summer by the Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Odom had his best years during his seven seasons with the Lakers, beginning in 2004-05. The team won NBA championships in 2010 and 2011, and Odom won the NBA's sixth man award in 2011.
This is yet another sad tale of a life being destroyed by addiction.