“I loved drugs. You’re talking to a real addict. I had some great cocaine summers”

SPAIN, February 26 — Lamar Odom, the two time NBA champion who won titles in 2009 and 2010 with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, left many stunned this week with a deeply emotional admission. The former Baskonia forward spoke candidly about his long battle with drug addiction.

“I loved drugs. You’re talking to a real addict,” Odom said. “In the summer I was doing drugs. I’m not going to hide it. I had some big cocaine summers. Based purely on talent, I should be right there with all of you in the Hall of Fame.” Odom made the remarks during a podcast appearance with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, reflecting on both his immense potential and the personal struggles that derailed parts of his career. “I had people coming up to me when I was 13 saying, ‘I have no doubt you’ll be a Hall of Famer.’ Let’s be honest, I was filming a reality show during the season. That means I was playing games and still won Sixth Man of the Year while filming a reality show. I knew I had the guts and the strength to do it. But when it comes to greatness and overall legacy, I stained that by abusing drugs, 100 percent.” Odom acknowledged that his addiction ultimately cost him a place in the Hall of Fame conversation. The former Clippers, Heat, Lakers, Mavericks and Baskonia standout also opened up about how his substance abuse began and the trauma that fueled it. “Marijuana. A lot of people don’t have hereditary addiction. My dad was a cocaine addict. Marijuana doesn’t get you high enough, so it’s ‘let me try some cocaine.’ I started smoking at 14 or 15. It’s also trauma. You’re going to explode after losing your mother. My mom was my best friend. I remember telling her at 10 years old that I was going to make it to the NBA and buy her a big house. Then by 12 she wasn’t there anymore.” Now 46, Odom looks back at his addiction with perspective and honesty. A key figure in the Lakers’ championship runs of 2009 and 2010, he offered a confession that was as raw as it was sobering, acknowledging both the heights of his talent and the cost of his personal battles.