The athlete-to-podcaster pipeline is crowded, but there’s always room for two more legends.
Cousins Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter team up for their aptly titled Cousins podcast, and one of their first guests is Lamar Odom.
Odom became one of the most polarizing players post-retirement, given his highly publicized relationship with Khloe Kardashian, and his drug use that nearly led to his death at a brothel in 2015. Now, the former sixth man of the year spoke openly and honestly with McGrady and Carter about his drug use.
“I loved drugs, you’re talking to a real addict. I sniff cocaine. If I don’t gotta play ball, I got no responsibilities,” he remembers from his playing days.
Despite admitting to being an addict, Odom says he was able to stay clean during the six-month season
“Summertime, I did drugs, I ain’t gonna front,” he adds. “I had some great cocaine summers.”
Odom says taking a hiatus from drugs in the season was needed because he knew the suspension for testing positive for cocaine on one of the routine drug tests would have been heavy.
“In an addict’s mind your thinking of beating the system. So my way of beating the system was partying hard during the summer,” he adds.
Without his drug problems, he says he’d be where McGrady and Carter are “in terms of fame.”
McGrady gives him props for routinely leaving drugs behind in the offseason and then putting up monster numbers during his playoff runs with the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Odom admits his transgressions, he thinks his purpose may be bigger than the court.
“I know I had the grit and the makeup to do it, especially if you put me on the spot. I’ma get it done,” he said. “But overall like greatness and legacy? Yeah, I hurt that by abusing drugs. But I’ma stand on that. When I think about my life ups and downs. I’m probably out here to do something more than basketball.”
The two-time NBA champion also spoke about the time he almost beat up Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban because he nudged him with his foot. It was Carter who calmed him down before it came to blows.
Man, this white man got it in his heart to get his point across,” Odom said of his 2012-13 Mavs stint. “He needs to kick me in my shin. You know, Mark Cuban, time has passed. I forgive you. But if it wasn’t for your cousin sitting right next to you right here, I was going to put him through the locker and wash the lockers with him.”
See social media’s reaction to Odom opening up below.