Lamar Odom’s brief time playing in the BIG3 came to an end this week when the league announced that he and three other players have been deactivated, and the former NBA star addressed the decision on Thursday.
In a lengthy statement he posted on Instagram, Odom said he is “extremely disappointed” with the way the BIG3 and founder Ice Cube handled the situation. He said it has been embarrassing for him and that he had to find out he had been deactivated by reading it on social media.
“Besides the embarrassment, it’s disappointing to read on IG that this decision had been made, especially without sharing it with myself or my manager,” Odom said. “Only after I heard from the media, I was then told that the big boys cutting checks decided that they had to deactivate me with no real specific explanation.”
Odom then addressed the comments Ice Cube made to TMZ, in which he indicated health and decreased ability may have been contributing factors in the league moving on from odom. The 39-year-old said he was “100% transparent about my condition” prior to signing his BIG3 contract and has been working hard to get in better shape.
For what it’s worth, Odom also praised Ice Cube and urged fans to not express any negativity toward the league. It’s not all that surprising that Odom didn’t last in the BIG3 considering everything he has gone through over the past several years, but you can’t blame him for being upset if he found out he had been cut the same way the rest of us learned about it.
BIG3 founder Ice Cube has addressed the reason why Lamar Odom was among the four prominent players who were deactivated by the league this week.
The BIG3 announced on Wednesday that Odom, Baron Davis, Jermaine O’Neal and Bonzi Wells had been deactivated. Davis hadn’t played in a game this season and made it sound like he had issues with the league. O’Neal and Wells hadn’t played in a game either, while Odom only had two points and four rebounds on the season.
“You know, as a league we want players that are actually playing,” Ice Cube said. He also mentioned they can’t have guys who “can’t play” or have “health issues.”
Wells had a heart attack in 2017. O’Neal is on medication for an irregular heartbeat and hadn’t been cleared to play.
Jermaine O’Neal was unable to play in today’s game for The Big 3, because of a health issue. He has an irregular heartbeat and they haven’t cleared him to play. He’s on medication, and is hoping to be back soon.
TMZ says Odom was more in the “can’t play” category, which isn’t too surprising since he last played in the NBA six years ago and went through a near-death health experience.
The BIG3 basketball league surprised many with a news announcement on Wednesday saying that numerous player and staff changes were being made, including the deactivation of several big-name players. The players being deactivated include former NBA players Lamar Odom, Baron Davis, Bonzi Wells and Jermaine O’Neal.
According to the media release, the changes “are being implemented to maximize competition, protect the health of players, and to raise the level of professionalism of the BIG3.”
Davis is listed as a co-captain for 3’s Company, which is 0-3 on the season. He has not registered any stats and said in a statement on his Twitter account that he decided to no longer participate in the league.
I have decided to no longer participate in the @thebig3 I don’t feel it is in my best interest to play, all love to the guys, stay connected and protect yourselves. @icecube good looking and best of luck!!
Odom was listed as a co-captain for the 2-1 Enemies but had only recorded 2 points, 4 rebounds and an assist on the season.
Neither Wells nor O’Neal had played in a game.
All four players have dealt with health issues or played sparingly according to BIG3 podcast The Fourth Man.
Along with Davis, Jermaine O’Neal, Bonzi Wells and Lamar Odom will also be deactivated for the rest of the season.
All players have either not played or played sparingly dealing with injuries and health concerns! Wish you guys the best and hopefully we can see them next summer! https://t.co/vN8hQkhmKD
— The Fourth Man: A BIG3 Podcast (@4thManPod) July 10, 2019
Honestly I think it’s good the league is deactivating players who have been inactive.
As much as I want to see them play they can’t play to the level they want to. I’m sure they would agree that it’s better to give their spots to people who can contribute right now.
— The Fourth Man: A BIG3 Podcast (@4thManPod) July 10, 2019
It has been more than three years since Lamar Odom nearly lost his life following a drug binge at a brothel in Nevada, and the former NBA star has spoken openly about his struggles with addiction. While he is back to playing basketball and in good physical shape, Odom’s mind is not nearly as sharp as it once was.
“My memory is really bad,” he said. “I can’t remember anything. My short-term memory is really bad. … I wish I could explain it but I can’t.”
Odom admitted he needs to work with doctors to figure out if there’s anything that can be done about his poor memory.
“It’s tough and it’s really frustrating. If there’s a poster child for Alzheimer’s, I’m probably it,” Odom said. “It’s something I’m scared of. I think I need to go see a doctor at some point and see if I can work on that. It’s scary.”
Odom had a series of strokes and heart attacks after his overdose, and doctors told him he is lucky to be alive and walking let alone preparing to play in the BIG3 basketball league. From an athletic standpoint, Odom says he “can’t dribble a basketball the way I used to.”
“I guess God gave me life so he had to take something so I guess he took away some of my natural ability, which came easy to me,” he said. “Ball handling and dribbling is still an issue but I have a month to work on that before the season starts.”
Aside from an incredibly bizarre story about a kidnapping, Odom has not made headlines for the wrong reasons in a long time. That seems to be a good indicator that he is keeping his life on track, and he was named a co-captain of the Enemies BIG3 team. While his chances of playing in the NBA again are slim to none, it’s good to see Odom back on the court.
Since the onset of Ice Cube’s BIG3 league — a three-on-three basketball league primarily featuring ex-NBA players — fans have clamored for former Los Angeles Lakers big man, Lamar Odom, to sign on. Over that span, he has done the same.
On Thursday morning, they all finally got their wish as the league announced that Odom has officially entered their draft pool.
SPLASH ALERT ???????????? Lamar Odom (@RealLamarOdom) has officially joined the BIG3 draft pool. He’s worked hard and we're thrilled to see him return to US professional basketball at the #BIG3Season3 combine. #Forever7pic.twitter.com/qMRZ5KZayO
Odom, who played 14 NBA seasons and won two titles with the Lakers, had previously signed a contract with the Mighty Sports Philippines to play in the Dubai International Basketball Championship, which is currently underway. Upon conclusion of that tournament, Odom will return to the United States as he prepares for the BIG3 draft.
The 2019 BIG3 season will get underway in June, and they expect a significant influx of talent as the league has expanded from eight teams to 12 this year.
Lamar Odom is officially back to playing professional basketball, and the former NBA star shared an encouraging update when he arrived in the Philippines this week to join his new teammates.
Odom has signed a contract with Mighty Sports Philippines to play in the Dubai International Basketball Championship next month. He had his first practice with the team on Wednesday, and he took to Instagram to say he is feeling “brand new” with a chance at a fresh basketball start.
Odom is hoping to use his time in the Philippines as a tuneup for Ice Cube’s BIG3 league, and he also announced over the summer that he has signed a contract to play in the Chinese Basketball Association. He has been open about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction over the past several years, but it seems like he has finally gotten control of his life.
Lamar Odom has been working on a book that is expected to be published early in 2019, and it reportedly has many members of the Kardashian family feeling extremely on edge.
According to a recent article in Life & Style Magazine, the Kardashian/Jenner family is worried about what information Odom might reveal in his tell-all memoir, “Darkness to Light.” In addition to opening up about his struggles with drug addiction, Odom is expected to share details about his marriage with Khloe Kardashian and what led to the former couple getting divorced. As one source put it to Life & Style, Odom knows many of the Kardashian family’s secrets.
“Lamar doesn’t just know Khloé’s darkest secrets. He could write hundreds of pages on the dirt he has on Kris, Kim, Kourtney, and Rob, too,” the article reads, via In Touch. He honestly thinks they’re all disgusting, and the entire family has gone into panic mode over what Lamar might reveal.”
Khloe was often shown as a big supporter of Odom on her reality TV shows as the former NBA star struggled with drug abuse and alleged infidelity, but the gossip magazine says Khloe is “terrified that (Odom is) going to portray her as a heartless woman who used her husband’s near-death experience to boost ratings.”
The source goes on to say that Khloe’s mother, Kris Jenner, is the most concerned about the book, as she supposedly kept in secret contact with Odom after his divorce from Khloe.
Lamar Odom addressed a wild story about him being kidnapped while in Oregon by seemingly suggesting the report was a fairy tale.
On Wednesday morning, Radar Online published a story saying that Odom was held hostage during a trip to Oregon in June to visit his girlfriend. Odom allegedly borrowed money from some shady figures while he was there and lost the $10,000 while gambling. They supposedly then took him hostage until he came up with the money to pay it off.
Odom posted a screenshot of the story on his Instagram page Wednesday, along with a caption.
“i also got lost in a rabbit hole together with my kidnapers, rapunzel and the 7 dwarfs saved me ! We all lived happily ever after . Can you please add this to the story ? Don’t leave out the juicy facts this bulls— makes me wanna start my own gossip online platform and report stories only about me . What y’all think?” Odom wrote (profanity censored).
Odom invoking fairy tale characters seems to show he felt the report was made up. His manager meanwhile denied the report.
Lamar Odom has indicated for quite some time that he wants to get back into playing professional basketball, and he has finally found a way to make that happen.
On Thursday, Odom announced that he has signed a contract to play in China.
Odom, who has not played in the NBA since the 2012-13 season, did not specify which team he will play for in China. He thanked Stephon Marbury for inspiring him, as Marbury went on to win multiple titles in the Chinese Basketball Association and become a star overseas after playing 13 seasons in the NBA.
Odom has been open about his struggles with drug addiction over the past couple of years, so hopefully his decision to play professional basketball again will help keep him on the right path. Earlier this week, Odom’s name was mentioned in connection with an alarming incident at a Hooters restaurant, but the 38-year-old says he was not harmed nor directly involved.
Ex-NBA star Lamar Odom is back in the news again for a negative reason.
TMZ Sports reported on Tuesday that the former Sixth Man of the Year was involved in an altercation at a Hooters restaurant in Queens, New York in the early hours of Jul. 20, leading to the cops being called. Witnesses say that Odom and a group of friends were leaving the restaurant when they got into a verbal argument with another group. A man from the other group is said to have pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots into the air. Nobody was struck however, and the other group fled the scene, per witnesses.
As for Odom, the report says that he has not been accused of any wrongdoing and is cooperating with the police as they actively search for the shooter.
Odom, 38, last played in the NBA during the 2012-13 season. He has since played for Spanish club Saski Baskonia however and has expressed interest in suiting up for Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league.
