Lamar Odom is surrounded by people who care…that he continue making NBA money

"I thought about walking away for a bit...but Khloe wouldn't let me"

Lamar Odom has had a pretty rough year. After his team got bounced from the NBA playoffs via second round sweep at the hands of eventual champion Dallas, Odom was witness to two deaths in the span of two days. First his cousin, who Odom described as one of his favorite people in the world, was shot and on life support. Odom flew to New York to be by his side and talked the family through pulling the plug on the 24-year old. Two days later, while being driven to a hair cut, the SUV he was riding in collided with a motorcycle which spun out of control and struck a pedestrian on the sidewalk, killing a 15-year old boy. Odom has always been a sensitive guy, whose play was driven by emotion, so it puts the slow start he’s had to this season (the worst of his career) into context. Being that close to two tragic deaths in the span of 48 hours would mess just about anyone up. In fact, it would have been completely understandable if Odom were to take some time away from basketball to collect himself and his thoughts away from the rigors of an NBA season. Michael Jordan did that very thing after his father’s death, spending a few years playing baseball before making a successful return to the Bulls. It would have been a perfectly legitimate and logical choice for Lamar. Turns out, he wanted to do just that…but someone talked him out of it.

From ESPN.com:

“Real close,” Odom said when asked Saturday how close he came to asking the Lakers for a season-long sabbatical.

“My wife talked me out of it.

“Cause I was asking myself: ‘Was I mentally prepared to play? If I didn’t play well, was I mentally prepared to help the team?’ I had thought, ‘Maybe I need a year.’ Because of the lockout, I thought, ‘Maybe somebody’s sending me a sign that I needed this time off.’

“(But) when I told some of my friends and my family that I was thinking about steppin’ back for a minute, I think the reaction from the closest people to me kind of gave me the energy to get back at it.”

Lamar Odom is surrounded by terrible people. His father has a history of drugs and only showing up when he wants something from Lamar. His best friend is a mooch who lives off Lamar, sleeping in his house and eating his food, under the delusion that he deserves to be taken care of because he’s been friends with Odom since they were kids. His wife is a member of the most fame-hungry family in America who finds new ways to perpetuate their own fame without actually doing anything of merit. And yes, I have seen their show, “Khloe and Lamar.” Shut up, I’m married, my wife made me.

Basically what Lamar Odom’s “support” system is telling him is that they know he’s a sensitive guy, and they understand he watched his cousin who he was very close to die from a gunshot wound, and then was involved in an accident that resulted in the death of a 15-year old bystander, which is probably weighing very heavily on him. But if he stops playing basketball, who’s going to give them money/food/shelter/attention for being married to a basketball player? Thank goodness he has them in his life to help him avoid making such selfish decisions.

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