Los Angeles Lakers: Lamar Odom admits to cheating on drug test

In his new book, beloved Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom made a bold admission that he cheated on a drug test so that he could play on the 2004 Olympic basketball team

In his seven years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Lamar Odom endeared himself to fans of the purple and gold in many ways.

For one, he was an unselfish, multi-talented forward who could seemingly do it all, and when the team’s fortunes dramatically turned after acquiring Pau Gasol in 2008, Odom accepted a lesser role coming off the bench to accommodate both the Spaniard’s arrival and the return of Andrew Bynum from a knee injury.

The role may have seemed like a lesser one, but in reality, he went from being asked to be the team’s second scoring option to more of a swiss army knife.

In doing so he played a huge role in the Lakers’ back-to-back world championships in 2009 and 2010, including one against the hated Boston Celtics.

For another, he was perhaps the most likable player on the entire team. It was extremely hard to find anyone who knew him who had anything bad to say about him, and in many ways, he was the spiritual leader of the team and the glue that held them together, both on and off the court.

When the Lakers tried to trade him in 2011 as part of the failed Chris Paul deal, Odom was deeply hurt, and it seemed to trigger a downward spiral for him.

Throughout his career, Odom also gained a reputation as something of a stoner. In the early 2000s, as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, he violated the league’s anti-drug policy twice and was suspended both times as a result.

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In 2004, things changed for the man who grew up in a harsh environment and family atmosphere in the borough of Queens. After spending a year with the Miami Heat, he was traded to the Lakers in the Shaquille O’Neal deal. He was also selected to represent his country in that year’s Olympic games in Athens, Greece.

In his new book, “Darkness to Light,” Odom calls being selected to play for USA Basketball as “one of the biggest honors in my career.”

But there was one big problem. Before he was officially added to the roster, he had to pass a drug test, and by his own admission, he had “been smoking weed every day that summer” and that as a result, “panic set in.”

So Odom got resourceful and decided to order a fake penis on the internet, then got his personal trainer (who didn’t use any illegal drugs) to urinate into it.

With some sleight of hand, Odom released that urine into the cup as an NBA security official watched from just two feet away while administering his drug test.

Odom “was paranoid it wouldn’t work,” but it did. He passed the test.

Unfortunately for our nation, his team put forth a shameful performance in those Olympic games, only winning a bronze medal. It was the first and, so far, only time the United States men’s basketball team hasn’t won the gold since NBA players were first allowed to participate in 1992.

Odom’s many off-the-court issues haven’t exactly been a secret, as most of you are well aware of, and it went far beyond merely smoking ganja. He nearly died a few years ago after he overdosed on far more dangerous drugs, and his much-publicized marriage to Khloe Kardashian went through its ups and downs.

In “Darkness to Light,” the former Laker comes clean about his trials and tribulations, including the time he cheated on Khloe and she found out.

As someone who was sometimes annoyed by Odom’s naturally passive tendencies but grew to love him as a player and even more as a human being, I really hope he has conquered all of his demons once and for all.

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He is a gentle, pure soul and can contribute so much to our society as long as he continues to grace us with his presence.

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