Lamar Odom: “I cried this morning like a baby, but knowing Kobe like I did, I know he would want me to stay strong at this point, and get my a** in the gym and get ready for the Big 3… As a teammate he ruled with an iron fist and if you weren’t about winning and making the team better then there was no need for you, and you would be shunned as a teammate. He was a ‘Ride With Me’ or get rolled over, but it made us better, and he held us accountable… He meant so much to me away from basketball, and I’ve known him since I was 16. He was extremely intelligent and had a photographic memory… Not only did he always want to win, but he KNEW he was going to win. I saw him hit 9 game-winning shots one year. For those people who don’t know basketball, if you’re a pro player, you’re lucky to hit maybe 2, 3, or 4 game-winning shots. He had 9 in ONE SEASON. The night he scored 81 were down 21 points and he willed us to win. When Kobe was on my team I always knew we had a shot to win no matter who I was playing against. His confidence rubbed off on you if understood him and could get what he was selling – which was GREATNESS. He had no fear and I’m going to miss him dearly. I’m hoping they change the NBA logo to him.” (Full Audio at Bottom of Page)
Listen to former Los Angeles Lakers player Lamar Odom join The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker to discuss the tragic passing of Odom’s former teammate and good friend Kobe Bryant, as the NBA legend’s death has shaken the entire world after one of the darkest days in sports history this past Sunday.
Check out the touching interview below, as an emotional Odom, still deeply mourning the loss of his close buddy, discusses what it was like to be Kobe’s teammate on the powerful late 2000’s Lakers teams who won back-to-back NBA Finals in 2009 and 2010.