Lamar Odom Breaks Silence After DUI Arrest, Social Media Reacts

Former NBA player Lamar Odom has added another DUI to his rap sheet.

KYMA reports that the arrest occurred early Saturday morning, while the two-time NBA champion was in Las Vegas.
Odom is also facing two other traffic violations of driving more than 41 miles per hour over the limit and improper lane change/failure to maintain lane.

Odom was being held on a $4,000 bail, but posted it and was released. He’s now due back in court for a follow-up on March 17.

He’s since issued a statement regarding the arrest, taking responsibility for his mistake.

“I am learning from this experience and remain committed to my continued growth,” Odom said in a statement to TMZ. “I’ve worked hard to rebuild my life, and taking responsibility is an essential part of that process. I am cooperating fully, staying honest, and focused on moving forward with integrity. Thank you to those who continue to support me.”

Odom’s first DUI dates back to 2013, when he was in Los Angeles, for which he received three years’ probation, was forced to pay a fine, and attend an alcohol education program.

It marked the beginning of his substance abuse problems, which were followed by his infamous near-fatal cocaine overdose in a Las Vegas brothel in 2015.

His estranged wife, Khloe Kardashian, was by his side during his recovery but eventually divorced him.

In a first-person piece with The Players’ Tribune in 2017, he spoke about his addiction, trauma, and how it affected his interpersonal relationships.

“I’m sober now. But it’s an everyday struggle,” he wrote. “I have an addiction. I’ll always have an addiction. It never goes away. I mean, I want to get high right now. But I know that I can’t if I want to be here for my children.”

In recent years, he’s gotten sober and become a sort of guiding light for other celebrities battling substance addiction, turning it into a business venture. Though short-lived, he opened Odom Wellness Treatment Centers, which was a marketing company for rehabs and senior living facilities from 2013-2015.

Odom, a Queens, New York basketball phenom, got his start at the University of Rhode Island before getting drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1999. He’d eventually make his way to the cross-town rival Los Angeles Lakers, and upon teaming up with Kobe Bryant, he won two NBA championships and even the coveted underdog honor of Sixth Man of the Year.

See social media’s reaction to Odom’s latest drug-related run-in with the cops below.