LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 20: Lamar Odom #7 stands next to Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers while taking on the New Orleans Hornets in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Lamar Odom Calls Ex-Laker Teammate Kobe Bryant 'Father Figure That I Never Had'

Timothy RappJun 3, 2019

Former NBA player Lamar Odom expressed on Instagram that Kobe Bryant was like "the father figure that I never had."

Odom and Bryant spent seven seasons together as teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning titles in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Odom and Bryant reached the postseason in six of Odom's seven seasons with the Lakers, including three trips to the NBA Finals.

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But Odom struggled after he was traded following the 2010-11 campaign, lasting just two more seasons in the NBA. Following his NBA career, Odom had a number of legal and personal issues and ended up in a coma in 2015 after a drug overdose.

Odom is attempting a basketball comeback, however, and will participate in Ice Cube's BIG3 this season.