At one point, not long ago, Lamar Odom had it all. Two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. A Sixth Man of the Year Award. A gold medal with Team USA. A multimillion-dollar career, a marriage to a Kardashian, and the adoration of fans worldwide.

But Odom’s life off the court has often been defined by instability, addiction, and financial and personal turmoil. And in recent months, his name has resurfaced not because of a comeback, but because of a court-ordered eviction and an awkward appearance at a controversial crypto dinner hosted by Donald Trump.

So what happened to one of the most versatile forwards of his era?

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Trouble Before the Spotlight

When trying to dissect the fall of Lamar Odom, some will point to his upbringing. It wasn’t the best. He was raised by his grandmother after his mother passed away from colon cancer when he was just 12 years old. His father was a heroin addict and wasn’t a consistent presence in his life until Odom started making millions in the NBA.

Initially, he planned to play college basketball at UNLV, even enrolling in summer classes in 1997. But the school released him after questions arose about his unusually high ACT score (22 out of 36). During his brief time at UNLV, Odom was arrested for soliciting a prostitute in an undercover Las Vegas PD operation. It was later discovered that he accepted payments totaling $5,600 from a booster, further complicating his eligibility.

He transferred to the University of Rhode Island, sat out the 1997–98 season, and then delivered a standout performance during the 1998–99 season. Odom helped the Rams win the Atlantic 10 championship and hit a buzzer-beating game-winner in the tournament final.

Early NBA Success and Red Flags

Odom declared for the 1999 NBA Draft and was taken fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. He signed a three-year deal worth $7.88 million and earned First-Team All-Rookie honors. But by his second season, warning signs emerged. He was suspended for his second drug-related offense in just eight months, later admitting to marijuana use. His performance dipped. He played only 29 games that season and just 49 the next. The Clippers declined to re-sign him.

He found new life with the Miami Heat during the 2003–04 season, posting a career-best 17.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. But his biggest value came as a trade chip. In the summer of 2004, he was packaged with Caron Butler and Brian Grant and sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal.

Championship Glory and Reality TV Fame

Life was good back in Los Angeles. Odom played out the six-year, $65 million contract he had signed with the Heat, then signed a four-year, $33 million extension with the Lakers in 2009. That same year, he married reality television star Khloé Kardashian and became a fixture on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” The couple also starred in their own spinoff, “Khloé & Lamar.”

By the end of the 2010–11 season, Odom was a two-time NBA champion, a Sixth Man of the Year winner, and a crossover celebrity. But just as his fame reached new heights, his personal and professional life began to spiral.

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The Beginning of the End

Odom suffered a string of personal tragedies and setbacks. A cousin he was extremely close to passed away. Days later, he was involved in a car accident that killed a teenager. His grief and emotional state seemed to affect his play. In December 2011, the Lakers traded him to the Dallas Mavericks.

His time in Dallas was a fiasco. He played terribly when he was with the team and even spent some time in the D-League (which he was very unhappy about). After an angry confrontation with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who questioned his commitment, he was placed on the inactive list in April 2012.

Dallas traded him to the Clippers, where he played all 82 games of the 2012-13 season, but not well enough to be brought back the following year. His next stop was in a league in Spain during the 2014 season, but an injury cut it short. The Knicks brought him in for part of the 2014 season, but he never actually played in a game.

In total, Lamar earned $115 million during his NBA career from salary alone. Today, we estimate his net worth sits at $20 million, although admittedly, this can be a hard number to nail down when drugs are involved.

More Trouble

His professional decline mirrored his personal one. In August 2013, he was arrested for drunk driving. Rumors of drug abuse swirled in tabloids and online. His marriage became strained. In December 2013, Khloé Kardashian filed for divorce after months of public speculation. Their split wasn’t finalized until July 2015.

On October 13, 2015, Odom was found unconscious at the Love Ranch, a legal brothel in Crystal, Nevada. At around 3:15 pm, someone from the establishment called 911, saying he was unconscious and had some strange mucus coming out of his nose and mouth. He couldn’t be airlifted to the hospital due to his height, but was eventually transported to the Desert View Hospital, where he was placed on life support. He had suffered a near-fatal overdose, experiencing 12 strokes and six heart attacks while in a coma.

Many feared he wouldn’t survive. But after months of hospitalization and a long rehab process, he gradually recovered. Remarkably, he began speaking publicly about his struggles, releasing a memoir, giving interviews, and vowing to stay sober. He even launched Odom Wellness Treatment Centers, a network of rehab facilities aimed at helping others battling addiction.

For a while, it seemed like a true redemption arc was unfolding. He appeared on reality TV again, dabbled in boxing, and spoke candidly about his regrets and lessons learned. But the underlying instability—financial, emotional, and reputational – never seemed far behind.

Back in the Headlines

In May 2025, Odom made headlines again, first for attending a high-profile cryptocurrency dinner hosted by Donald Trump in Virginia. The dinner, designed to reward top investors in Trump’s $TRUMP meme coin, was met with vocal protests. As Odom arrived, demonstrators heckled him, yelling “Hypocrite!” and waving signs accusing attendees of corruption. Odom posted a video from the event, seemingly unfazed, and used the opportunity to promote his own meme coin project. It was another puzzling chapter in his unpredictable post-basketball career.

I’m just about to pass through security and officially walk into the Trump Gala.

Honestly… I’m fired up.

Think about it—what meme coin has ever done this?$ODOM isn’t just a token, it’s taking the stage at a presidential gala tonight!

By the way, Bitcoin is smashing through… pic.twitter.com/7eI5SezPLh

— LAMAR ODOM (@LamarOdom) May 22, 2025

Then, just last week, headlines surfaced claiming that Lamar was ordered to vacate a Studio City mansion after allegedly failing to pay $45,000 in rent. According to court documents, Odom entered a $15,000-per-month rental agreement in late 2024 but failed to make payments for January through March. A judge ordered him to vacate the property after he didn’t respond to legal notices.

The Ongoing Paradox of Lamar Odom

At 45, Lamar Odom remains one of the most compelling, conflicted figures to emerge from the NBA in recent decades. His story contains nearly every extreme: poverty and wealth, obscurity and superstardom, devotion and betrayal, triumph and near death. He once stood at the pinnacle of professional sports and pop culture, and now finds himself navigating meme coins, evictions, and occasional public embarrassment. His legacy, like his life, remains a work in progress, a reminder that talent can take you far, but healing is a much harder journey.