The chances of former Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom playing in the NBA again seem to be slim to none. The one-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year is 37 and fresh out of a 35-day stint in rehab following a year in which he was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Although it appears his playing days are over, Odom seems to have an interest in coaching in some capacity on the NBA level. TMZ Sports recently caught up with Odom, and he said he has spoken to his former teammate and current Lakers head coach Luke Walton about joining his staff:
Lamar Odom says he’s still intent on returning to the NBA … but on the sidelines … telling TMZ Sports he’s reached out to Lakers coach Luke Walton about a spot on the staff.
Walton, who is in his first year as a head coach in the NBA, seemed open to the prospect of having his former teammate on the coaching, according to Odom:
“He’ll see about it,” Odom said of Walton’s response about joining the Lakers coaching staff.
With Walton “open” to the prospect of Odom joining the coaching staff, it’ll be interesting to see if the two-time NBA champion will get another shot to have a role in the Lakers organization.
Walton, who is still adjusting to being a head coach, may not want the added distraction of Odom’s presence if he still hasn’t gotten his life straightened out off the court. It remains to be seen whether Odom has his act together, but reuniting with Walton and focusing on basketball may be exactly what he needs moving forward.
Odom’s former teammate Metta World Peace has also expressed an interest in coaching. It isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that the coaching staff starts to resemble the last Lakers squad to win a title back in 2010 in the near future if Walton and company choose to go in that direction.