Lamar Odom Return to Basketball Amid Drug Abuse & Khloe Kardashian Divorce; Signs Contract with Spanish Team
Lamar Odom is determined to regain his basketball career, and although the NBA may not be the best option for him right now, he's reached an agreement with a team in Spain.
ESPN reported that the 34-year-old former Los Angeles Clippers forward recently signed a two-month contract with team Laboral Kutxa, which includes an option to extend the deal for the remainder of the season to fill a long-term roster spot which opened up because of an injury.
If an NBA opportunity becomes available, a deal such as Odom's with the Spain team will allow him to play in the league. But sources said his plan is to play overseas for the rest of the season before deciding if an NBA comeback is worth it.
Odom has been a free agent since finishing up his 2012-13 season with the Clippers, but the team did not renew his contract. Instead they signed veterans: Stephen Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu and Sasha Vujacic.
Both the Lakers and Clippers became interested in signing Odom last summer until his private life of his drug issues became public. His ex-wife Khloe Kardashian also filed for divorce in December.
Back in November, Clippers' coach Doc Rivers confirmed he met with Odom and simply had a "good conversation" with him.
"I've always had interest in him. I've always liked him," Rivers said at the time. "The teams he's played on and the coaches who have coached him have always liked him, but honestly it really didn't go much further than that."