Two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom tagged his stint with the Dallas Mavericks as the ‘worst chapter' of his basketball career. To recall, in 2011 — a season after winning his second NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers — Odom was sent to the Mavs who were then the defending NBA champions.
Though many saw it as a great deal for both Odom and the Mavs, the former Sixth Man of the Year saw it differently. In an excerpt from his autobiography entitled From Darkness To Light: A Memoir, Odom, 39, called his stint with the Mavericks as the worst of his career. Per D Magazine:
“In the end I averaged career lows in points (6.6), rebounds (4.7), assists (1.7), and field-goal percentage (35.2).
On June 29, the Mavericks dealt me to the Clippers as part of a four-team trade. At the very least, the worst chapter of my basketball life was over. But my downward spiral would only pick up steam. I was about to spin out of control.”
Odom added the right from the get-go, he didn't want to be in Dallas. The pleasantries and courtesies he exchanged with fans and teammates were all just for show. Odom was trying his best to be a professional.
“I was as professional and cordial as I could possibly be, but I was already planning my escape. I simply did not want to be in Dallas.”
Little is known about Odom's stint in Dallas. Everyone just knows that from being a critical piece of the Lakers' championship run from 2008 to 2010, Odom seemingly disappeared. And in his autobiography, he shares the real story on why this came to be, among other details in his personal and basketball life.
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