This fall will mark the four year anniversary when NBA superstar Lamar Odom was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel. He was taken to the Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas where he slipped into a coma. He suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks while unconscious and doctors were certain that the man in his mid-thirties wasn’t going to pull through.
“My doctors say I’m a walking miracle; they’re amazed that I’m here,” Odom told the L.A. Times. “I always knew I had a strong will. I think my will is even stronger than I believed it was. It’s a testament that God is good. When I woke up and I couldn’t talk or walk I never thought I would be here. I never thought I would play basketball again or talk to you. Just to be here is a win for me.”
The 39-year-old continues to work on his recovery and has been playing ball overseas. He’s preparing to play for the BIG3, a league founded by Ice Cube that features retired NBA players who still have some game left in them. The players go head-to-head in three-on-three games. When TMZ caught Odom making his way through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Thursday morning, they asked him what his feelings were about getting back on the court.
“I mean, to be honest with you, I mean, I played pro already in Dubai. Hopefully, when I finish the BIG3 I get nominated for an ESPY. For real. Comeback Athlete the Year.” He added, “When you’re an addict, that’s something that you live with forever. You don’t just put that behind you. It’ll take years just to put that sh*t completely behind you. Everybody get the urge, but getting high is not on my agenda right now.” He says he’s still having problems with his memory. “It’s not really fully back. I think that’s the only thing that’s really…all my doctors say that I’m a walking miracle.”
He has, however, been dealing with memory loss issues. “I can’t remember anything. My short-term memory is really bad,” he said to the L.A. Times. “I wish I could explain it but I can’t. It’s tough and it’s really frustrating. If there’s a poster child for Alzheimer’s, I’m probably it. It’s something I’m scared . I think I need to go see a doctor at some point and see if I can work on that. It’s scary.”