Former NBA star Lamar Odom was kicked out of rapper and actor Ice Cube's three-on-three basketball league the BIG3 due to diminished performance, but the 39-year-old isn't finished playing professional hoops.
Speaking to TMZ Live, Odom, who spent 14 years in the NBA, winning two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, told the celebrity news and gossip outlet that he still plans on pursuing his professional career in basketball.
Via TMZ.com:
“I'mma play professional basketball again. Maybe in the Philippines or something like that. But, that's just another setback. When one thing gets taken from you, another beautiful thing pops up.”
Odom washed out of the NBA following his battle with substance abuse and addiction, eventually leading to his rock bottom: a coma and multiple strokes suffered. After Odom miraculously recovered from his health scare, he briefly played for Philippine club Mighty Sports before finding a co-captain spot on BIG3 team Enemies. The league announced earlier in July that Odom, among other players like Baron Davis and Jermaine O'Neal, was deactivated, reportedly due to inability to perform.
Odom, a 6-foot-10 power forward, was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1999 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, where he played with the young team for four seasons before signing as a free agent with the Miami Heat in 2003. The Heat would later trade Odom in the Shaquille O'Neal deal. Odom played seven successful seasons with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers until 2011, including the two titles and a Sixth Man of the Year honor.
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