Just 15 months after he was fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital, former Lakers’ forward Lamar Odom could once again find himself in the National Basketball Association.
While his playing days are assuredly over, a career in coaching is apparently an interest for the former Sixth Man Of The Year. In a TMZ video posted Tuesday, Odom floated the possibility of him working alongside former teammate Luke Walton in a coaching role with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Walton and Odom were teammates during the Lake Show’s championship runs in 2009 and 2010, and the 37-year-old has apparently been in contact with LA’s head coach. However, it sounds unlikely that this feel-good story will materialize any time soon.
Walton was asked about the situation prior to Tuesday’s game at against the Trailblazers and had this to say, per Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times:
Lamar Odom has talked to Luke Walton about coaching, but that's not anywhere close to happening I'm told. Walton does love Odom though. pic.twitter.com/At01Apg4Rx
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) January 11, 2017
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While veteran Metta World Peace is also a candidate to join Walton alongside current assistant and former Laker Brian Shaw, it seems unlikely that Odom will be added to the mix as well. Walton is already experiencing the growing pains of being a first year coach with a young team, a situation that would only be exacerbated by the public circus that would ensue around the New York native.
More importantly, Odom’s health and personal well-being should continue to be his primary focus. He we will always be a beloved part of the Purple and Gold family, but his health and happiness is more pressing than an immediate return to Staples Center.
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Should Luke Walton welcome his former teammate on the coaching staff? What would Odom bring to the table? Let us know in the comments below!