Lamar Odom was reportedly training in hopes of returning to the NBA in the weeks before he was found unconscious in a Las Vegas brothel on Tuesday, October 13. Not only was he hoping to play again, but a new report reveals he also reached out to specific coaches expressing his desire to get back into the game.
Odom was desperate to make a career comeback, but it looks like no one was giving him a chance. Before his health scare, he was even willing to “be in a healthier place” in preparation for another chance to play on the basketball court, according to E! News journalist Ken Baker.
“I did an interview with a former coach of his, Gary Charles, and he said that Lamar approached him, he wanted to train with him, and he said he wanted to get back personally and professionally,” Ken Baker reported.
An insider told the website: "He seemed pretty serious about training to get a pro tryout. He had trainers with him and was working on his shot. He was also working on his cardio on the Stairmaster. He looked good."
It was previously reported that ex-teammates believed that basketball is believed to be Lamar's version of therapy, so being near the game would seem to have a positive impact on his mental and physical health.
Lamar's trainer Fareed Samad told TMZ: "He moved [to Nevada] because of [pro boxer] Zab Judah, and Zab Judah told him to come here and train with me if he wanted to like, you know, like make his way back to the NBA. Physically, he was doing OK. He was down 35 pounds. He would take, you know, like hiatuses once in a while. It's more mental than physical with him."
NBA teams are currently in the middle of their preseason schedule, had things gone right for Lamar, he could've caught on with a team this month before the season begins in about two weeks.
As Lamar bounced from team to team over the years, his life continued to spiral and his addiction to drugs continued to surface. Even his four-year marriage to Khloe Kardashian wasn’t enough to keep him on the right path.
Meanwhile, Lamar reportedly opened his eyes on Friday and briefly communicated with Khloe.
A source told E! News that the basketball star gave his estranged wife a thumbs up and said, "Hey, baby," before going back to sleep.
The insider also claimed he has been taken off a ventilator and is breathing by himself.
