Lamar Odom's BIG3 journey has come to an end.
According to TMZ, the former Los Angeles Laker saw his return to basketball come to screeching halt after he was kicked out off Ice Cube's professional basketball league following one game.
The BIG3 announced the news on Wednesday (July 10), saying, Lamar as well as Baron Davis, Jermaine O'Neal and Bonzi Wells, would be "deactivated" for the remainder of the 2019 season. As for why Odom — who was a player of the "Enemies," playing alongside Gilbert Arenas and Royce White — didn't make the cut, sources told the entertainment news site, the retired NBA star "was nervous about being embarrassed on the court because he wasn't prepared to compete with his fellow ex-NBA hoopers and there was little hope it would work out." A second insider added, Lamar just wasn't ready to play.
Following the league's announcement, Ice Cube shed additional light on the situation, telling TMZ, "We want players that are actually playing." He added, players who aren't playing or who "can't play" or have "health issues" that prevent them from playing shouldn't be a part of the BIG3 organization. When asked if he was concerned about Lamar, given his difficult history, Cube replied, "Always, I love the guy."
While Lamar has had a tough few years, 2019 has been a comeback year of sorts for the 39-year-old. In May, he released a telling memoir— that went on to become a New York Times bestseller — and said that while he was still fighting addition, he was winning.
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