Former Los Angeles Lakers star forward and two-time NBA champion, Lamar Odom, was recently arrested in Nevada for suspicion of DUI after being pulled over near Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas by a Nevada Highway Patrol Officer.
According to KTNL 13 Action News, the ex-Lakers star was reportedly driving over 100 miles per hour in a 65 miles per hour speed limit zone.
“The trooper estimated the SUV reached 105 mph and noted that even at 110 mph, his patrol car was still losing ground,” the station wrote. “Inside (the car) were Odom and an unidentified male passenger, both with red, watery eyes and a strong odor of marijuana. Odom said he was on the phone with his manager and headed home. Initially, he claimed his passenger had been smoking, but later admitted using marijuana earlier that day.”
Odom, the former teammate of superstar Kobe Bryant, has a lengthy history with the law and medical issues; this latest arrest is just another chapter in that saga.
Lamar Odom Arrested For DUI Suspicion
The arresting officer, Shawn Haggstrom, asked Odom why he was going so fast, to which the 6’10” forward responded that he was on the phone with his manager. He added that he was ‘almost home’, but then reportedly said he was on his way to his friend’s house, according to KLAS News.
When speaking to the officer, Odom originally refuted that he had smoked marijuana that day, but rather said it was the unidentified person in the car with him who was taking part in the act. He later admitted to smoking hours earlier.
Police said there was an ‘overwhelming odor of Marijuana emanating from the vehicle.’ Odom also denied drinking alcohol on the day of the arrest.
The former NBA star also reportedly asked the arresting officers how their day was going, besides the fact that they caught him ‘driving like he was in ‘Back To The Future.’
When getting out of the car, Odom reportedly did not have the vehicle in park, and it subsequently rolled for a bit before he finally put it in park.
“Cops asked several questions before conducting field sobriety tests,” TMZ wrote. “Including whether he ever had a traumatic brain injury. According to the report, Odom laughed and stated he ‘had 12 strokes and six heart attacks and that he was poisoned at a brothel in Pahrump.’”
The 46-year-old failed multiple field sobriety tests and was then taken into custody, forced to sit across the backseat of a police cruiser due to his height.
Odom has been hit with three charges after his middle-of-the-night arrest. First for driving under the influence, second for driving at least 41 miles per hour above the speed limit, and finally for improper lane change/failure to maintain lane.
Lamar Odom’s NBA Career
The arrest is just another chapter in Odom’s controversy-filled life, as, along with previous arrests and medical scares, he was married to Khloe Kardashian and has reportedly overdosed on at least one occasion.
But in what now seems like a previous life, Odom was a star NBA player, where he spent a majority of his career with the Lakers, winning two titles with Bryant and Pau Gasol in 2009 and 2010 as a major piece of the team.
Odom was drafted fourth overall in 1999 by the Los Angeles Clippers, spending four seasons with the team before playing one year with the Miami Heat.
He then moved to the Lakers, where he spent seven seasons from 2004 to 2011. During his time with the Lakers, he averaged at least 10 points, eight rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while a consistent starter for much of that run.
Odom then played one season with the Dallas Mavericks, before then going back to the Clippers for his final year in the NBA in the 2012-13 season.
In his 14 total years in the league, Odom had career averages of 13.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 2.3 turnovers in 961 games on 46.3/31.2/69.3 shooting splits.
Now more than a decade after he retired from the NBA, with his latest arrest, Odom is set to appear in court on March 17, according to KLAS News.
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