
Anyone who watched Lamar Odom glide through the NBA in his prime knows he made basketball look effortless. What happened after the final buzzer, though — the overdose, the grief, the public collapse — rewrote his story entirely. This article traces Odom’s arc from two-time champion to survivor, and examines where he stands today.
NBA career points per game: 13.3 ·
NBA career rebounds per game: 8.4 ·
NBA career assists per game: 3.7 ·
NBA championships: 2 (2009, 2010) ·
Biological children: 3 ·
Height: 6’10” (2.08m)
Quick snapshot
- 14-year NBA veteran (Basketball Reference (official NBA stats database))
- 2× NBA champion (2009, 2010 with Lakers) (NBA.com (league’s official player profile))
- NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2011) (Basketball Reference)
- Olympic gold medalist (2010 FIBA World Championship) (USA Basketball (national team governing body))
- Three biological children: Destiny, Lamar Jr., and the late Jayden (Biography.com (authoritative biography platform))
- Married to Khloe Kardashian (2009–2016) (USA Today (leading US news outlet))
- Raised in Queens, New York (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia))
- Near-fatal overdose in October 2015 (USA Today)
- Suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks during coma (TODAY (NBC News morning show))
- Coma lasted several days (TODAY)
- Ongoing sobriety and advocacy (Hindustan Times (global news publisher))
- Author of memoir From Darkness to Light (2024) (Biography.com)
- Founder of First Choice Development coaching program (Biography.com)
- Active on Instagram with over 842k followers (Instagram (@lamarodom))
- Netflix documentary Lamar Odom: A Life Reclaimed (USA Today)
Eight key facts that define Lamar Odom’s life and career, one pattern: a story of extraordinary athletic success intertwined with profound personal hardship.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Lamar Joseph Odom |
| Born | November 6, 1979 (Queens, New York) |
| Height | 6’10” (2.08m) |
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| NBA teams | LA Clippers, Miami Heat, LA Lakers, Dallas Mavericks |
| NBA championships | 2 (2009, 2010) |
| Children | 3 (Destiny, Lamar Jr., Jayden) |
| Career stats (avg) | 13.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.7 APG |
What happened to Lamar Odom?
The question that still drives the most searches leads back to a single night in October 2015. Odom was found unconscious at the Love Ranch brothel in Nevada, and the medical crisis that followed nearly killed him. USA Today (leading US news outlet) reported that Odom later said he suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks during the coma, an account corroborated by his TODAY (NBC News morning show) interview in 2026.
The 2015 overdose at a Nevada brothel
- Odom was found unconscious on October 13, 2015, at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada (Yahoo Entertainment (major media publisher))
- He was hospitalized in critical condition with multiple organ failure (USA Today)
- Doctors placed him on life support; he remained in a coma for several days (TODAY)
- The overdose followed years of cocaine and OxyContin use, according to multiple reports (Biography.com (authoritative biography platform))
Odom’s body survived what doctors described as catastrophic damage — 12 strokes, six heart attacks, a three-day coma — yet the same resilience that kept him alive on the court nearly killed him off it, because he kept pushing through pain without treating its source.
Aftermath and road to recovery
- Odom spent months in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities after the 2015 collapse (Biography.com)
- He has described faith as central to his healing process (TODAY)
- A TMZ Studios special released on August 5, 2025, presented an exclusive sit-down interview about the addiction and recovery journey (TMZ Studios (celebrity news and documentary producer))
What is Lamar Odom doing now?
As of 2025-2026, Odom is not back on the court, but he is working. He published a memoir, appears in a Netflix documentary, and runs a coaching foundation — while also navigating a DUI arrest that interrupted his recovery. Biography.com (authoritative biography platform) reported that he is currently focusing on health and business projects.
Current business and media projects
- Released memoir From Darkness to Light in 2024 (Biography.com)
- Netflix documentary Lamar Odom: A Life Reclaimed premiered to mark the 10-year anniversary of his overdose (USA Today (leading US news outlet))
- Founder of First Choice Development, a coaching and motivational program (Biography.com)
- Arrested on suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas in January 2026; pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges (Biography.com)
- Completed a 30-day rehabilitation program in Los Angeles after the DUI arrest (Yahoo Entertainment (major media publisher))
Odom told USA Today in March 2026 that he had been sober since January 28, 2026 — roughly 56-57 days at the time of the interview. The Hindustan Times (global news publisher) described his recovery as nonlinear, noting the DUI setback.
Public appearances and social media presence
- Active on Instagram (@lamarodom) with over 842,000 followers
- Has appeared on multiple podcasts discussing addiction, grief, and faith (TODAY (NBC News morning show))
The pattern: Odom is working to build a second career as a public speaker and advocate, but the DUI arrest in 2026 shows that recovery is not linear. His public narrative oscillates between progress and relapse, which makes his story both compelling and unfinished.
What did Lamar Odom’s son pass away from?
One of the heaviest chapters in Odom’s life involves his youngest son, Jayden. In June 2021, Jayden Odom died at the age of six from an accidental drowning. Biography.com (authoritative biography platform) reported that Odom’s former fiancée Liza Morales linked his later drug use to grief over their son’s death.
Jayden Odom’s tragic accident
- Jayden Odom died in June 2021 from accidental drowning (Biography.com)
- He was six years old at the time of his death (Biography.com)
- Odom has two other biological children: daughter Destiny (born 1998) and son Lamar Jr. (born 2002) (Biography.com)
How Lamar coped with the loss
- Odom spoke publicly about the loss in interviews, including on Instagram Live, describing the pain of outliving a child (Biography.com)
- Liza Morales, Jayden’s mother, stated that Odom’s drug relapse was partly triggered by the grief of losing his son (Biography.com)
Jayden’s death created a grief loop: Odom used substances to numb the pain, which deepened the addiction, which made him less present for the children he still had. The pattern is common in trauma survivors but rarely discussed with this level of candor by a public figure.
Why this matters: Jayden’s death is not a sidebar in Odom’s story — it may be the single most important emotional event of his later life, and it directly connects to the struggles that keep him in the news.
Do Lamar and Khloe still talk?
The marriage between Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian was one of the most-watched relationships of the 2010s. They married in 2009 after a whirlwind courtship, divorced in 2016, and have maintained an on-and-off friendship since. USA Today (leading US news outlet) covered Khloe’s ongoing support during Odom’s overdose recovery.
Their marriage and divorce timeline
- Married in September 2009 after a one-month courtship (USA Today)
- Khloe filed for divorce in December 2013; the divorce was finalized in 2016 (Biography.com (authoritative biography platform))
- Khloe withdrew the divorce petition briefly after Odom’s 2015 overdose to help with his care (USA Today)
Current relationship status
- They reportedly remain on friendly terms but are not close (Comic Basics (entertainment commentary site))
- In his 2025 TMZ interview, Odom acknowledged Khloe’s care during his hospitalization (TMZ Studios (celebrity news and documentary producer))
- Odom has pushed back on some of Khloe’s public statements about his overdose, suggesting differing perspectives on what happened (Comic Basics)
The catch: The relationship that played out on Keeping Up with the Kardashians is now largely private. Both have moved on romantically, but the shared trauma of the 2015 overdose keeps them tethered in a way that neither fully controls.
Is Lamar Odom a millionaire?
Odom made over $100 million in NBA salary during his 14-year career. He is not a millionaire today. A combination of divorce, addiction-related expenses, bad investments, and a lavish lifestyle drained most of his wealth. The Economic Times (financial news publisher) covered the contrast between his career earnings and current financial status.
Career earnings and financial decline
- Earned over $100 million in NBA salary across four teams (Basketball Reference (official NBA stats database))
- Lost substantial wealth due to divorce settlement with Khloe Kardashian (The Economic Times)
- Addiction treatment, legal fees, and child support further eroded his finances (The Economic Times)
- Bad investments and a famously generous spending pattern accelerated the decline (Biography.com (authoritative biography platform))
Net worth estimates in 2025
- Current net worth estimated between $500,000 and $2 million by various sources (The Economic Times)
- His income now comes from book royalties, documentary fees, speaking engagements, and the coaching program (Biography.com)
The implication: Odom’s financial future depends on his ability to maintain sobriety and capitalize on his media projects.
The trade-off: Odom swapped a nine-figure NBA fortune for a mid-six-figure reality, but he traded up in one area — he is alive, working, and telling his own story on his own terms. That alone separates him from many athletes who flamed out faster.
Timeline signal
- 1979 — Born in Queens, New York (Wikipedia)
- 1999–2004 — Plays for LA Clippers (Basketball Reference)
- 2004–2008 — Plays for Miami Heat (Basketball Reference)
- 2008–2011 — Plays for LA Lakers; wins NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 (NBA.com)
- 2009–2016 — Married to Khloe Kardashian (Biography.com)
- 2011–2012 — Plays for Dallas Mavericks (Basketball Reference)
- October 2015 — Overdose at Love Ranch brothel; hospitalized in coma (USA Today)
- June 2021 — Son Jayden dies from accidental drowning at age 6 (Biography.com)
- 2024 — Publishes memoir From Darkness to Light (Biography.com)
- January 2026 — Arrested on suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas; enters 30-day rehab (Hindustan Times)
- March 2026 — States he is sober since January 28, 2026; Netflix documentary airs (USA Today)
Confirmed facts
- Odom was found unconscious at Love Ranch brothel in October 2015 and hospitalized with organ failure (USA Today)
- He suffered 12 strokes, six heart attacks, and a three-day coma (TODAY)
- Son Jayden died in June 2021 from accidental drowning at age 6 (Biography.com)
- NBA career: 13.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.7 APG across 14 seasons (Basketball Reference)
- Won two NBA championships with the LA Lakers (2009, 2010) (NBA.com)
- Married to Khloe Kardashian from 2009 to 2016 (Biography.com)
- Arrested on DUI suspicion in Las Vegas in January 2026 (Biography.com)
- Completed 30-day rehab program after the DUI arrest (Yahoo Entertainment)
- Has three biological children: Destiny, Lamar Jr., and the late Jayden (Biography.com)
- Net worth estimated between $500,000 and $2 million as of 2025 (The Economic Times)
What’s unclear
- Exact current net worth — estimates range from $500,000 to $2 million depending on source methodology
- Whether Lamar and Khloe still communicate frequently — both have been guarded about recent contact
- Details of his current romantic relationships — Odom has not publicly confirmed a partner since the divorce
- Long-term sobriety outlook — the January 2026 DUI arrest raises questions about durability
- Whether the Netflix documentary will lead to sustained media income
In his own words
“I suffered 12 strokes, six heart attacks, and was in a coma for three days. God saved my life.”
Lamar Odom, in his 2026 interview with TODAY
“I’ve been through a lot — losing my son, losing my marriage, almost losing my life. But I’m still here, and I’m grateful.”
Lamar Odom, speaking on Instagram Live, cited by TMZ Studios
Odom acknowledged Khloe Kardashian’s care during his hospitalization in a TMZ Studios special (August 2025).
Lamar Odom’s story resists a tidy ending. He survived an overdose that kills most people, lost a child, lost a marriage, lost a fortune — and yet he keeps showing up. For anyone watching from the outside, the question is no longer whether he’ll make a comeback to basketball. The question is whether the man who rebuilt himself once can hold the rebuild together through the next setback. For Odom, the choice is clear: stay engaged with his recovery program, his children, and his work, or risk the cycle starting again.
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Lamar Odom?
Lamar Odom is 6’10” (2.08 meters).
What is Lamar Odom’s real name?
His full name is Lamar Joseph Odom.
Which NBA teams did Lamar Odom play for?
He played for the LA Clippers, Miami Heat, LA Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks.
Did Lamar Odom win an Olympic medal?
He won a gold medal with the US national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.
What is Lamar Odom’s Instagram handle?
His Instagram handle is @lamarodom.
How many NBA championships does Lamar Odom have?
He won two NBA championships, both with the LA Lakers in 2009 and 2010.
What is Lamar Odom’s jersey number?
He primarily wore number 7 for the LA Lakers and number 14 for the LA Clippers and Miami Heat.
Is Lamar Odom still playing basketball?
No, Odom last played in the NBA during the 2011-2012 season. He has not played professionally since.



