Lamar Odom checks into rehab after his arrest on DUI charge as spokeswoman says he is ‘taking responsibility’
Two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom has checked into rehab following his recent arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The 46-year-old retired Los Angeles Lakers star entered a 30-day treatment program at iRely Recovery to ‘reset and focus on his health,’ his manager, Gina Rodriguez, told Page Six.
‘After a recent incident, he took a step back to reflect and address triggers he’s been dealing with,’ she said. ‘He’s taking full responsibility and choosing to be proactive about his wellbeing.’
‘Lamar is grateful for the support and is committed to moving forward in a healthy, positive way,’ she added.
Odom has denied being under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he was arrested in Las Vegas – despite police claiming the former basketball star admitted smoking Marijuana earlier that day.
The two-time NBA champion was detained by police on Saturday on suspicion of DUI and driving more than 100mph.
Lamar Odom has reportedly checked into rehab following his recent arrest on a DUI charge
On Tuesday, Odom spoke out about his arrest, insisting he had not drunk or taken narcotics when he was arrested. In an interview with TMZ, he did not specify what was in his system.
But later on Tuesday, it was reported that cops found the 46-year-old with bloodshot eyes, while his car had an ‘overwhelming odor of Marijuana.’
According to TMZ, the ex-NBA star confessed to smoking Marijuana just hours before police caught him speeding at 106mph.
It’s said the authorities were patrolling the streets around 2am on Saturday when a black SUV sped past them and then changed lanes without signaling.
Police reportedly questioned Odom at the scene, with the ex-NBA star claiming his passenger had been smoking. But the 46-year-old reportedly admitted that he had smoked Marijuana around 4pm that day and admitted to ‘driving like he was in ‘Back To The Future.”
The 46-year-old ex-NBA star is also accused of driving more than 40mph over the limit
According to TMZ, Odom struggled during several sobriety tests, including failing to touch the tip of his nose in six attempts. Police also asked whether he had suffered a traumatic brain injury, to which Odom reportedly laughed before claiming to have suffered ’12 strokes and six heart attacks and that he was poisoned at a brothel in Pahrump.’
The two-time NBA champion was hit with three charges: driving under the influence, driving more than 41mph over the limit and improper lane change/failure to maintain lane.
On Tuesday the 46-year-old, who was previously married to Khloe Kardashian, insisted he is ‘learning from this experience.’
He said: ‘[I] remain committed to my continued growth. 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.’
The New York native, who was the 2010-11 Sixth Man of the Year and won two titles with the Lakers, made $114million over his 14-year career in the NBA.
But Odom has battled drug and alcohol addiction and he was previously arrested for DUI back in 2013. A couple of years later, the retired forward nearly died of a drug overdose in 2015 at a brothel in Nevada.
Odom, pictured in August in 2010, was previously married to reality star Khloe Kardashian
According to reports at the time, Odom was believed to have overdosed on cocaine and other drugs before he was found unconscious at the Love Ranch in Crystal.
He was soon on life support with Kardashian by his side. The reality star and 6ft10 basketball star tied the knot in 2009 after a whirlwind romance.
But they endured a tumultuous marriage riddled with infidelity, drug abuse, and public scandals. Last year, Kardashian lifted the lid on the ‘pivotal moment’ that forced her to end the marriage.
‘[He] had a drug addiction and I knew that his addiction always heightened when he was in the off-season, cause idle time is the devil’s playground,’ she recalled.
‘I remember he was asked to go to Team USA, if I remember correctly, and I was begging, ‘Please, please go to Team USA,’ and I was pushing, and I remember he just looked at me and said, ‘You can’t want it more than I do.”
She added: ‘When he said, ‘You can’t want it more than me’ and ‘I don’t want it’ — it was so profound… I wanted it so badly, because I wanted to help him and to get him to feel the motivation and feel good.
‘But he just wasn’t in that place… then I had to file for divorce.’ The divorce was finalized in 2016.
Odom reportedly went sober in recent years and attempted to help others battling addiction by investing in rehabilitation centers.
Last May, the ex-NBA champion was ordered to vacate a Los Angeles home after allegedly failing to pay rent, according to a lawsuit.
The suit, filed in LA County Court, revealed he was being sued by a landlord for allegedly failing to pay $45,000 in back rent. A later filing showed a judge had ordered Odom to leave the home on April 28.
