Beleaguered former NBA and Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Lamar Odom has checked himself into rehab, according to reports.
He is seeking treatment at a rehab facility near San Diego, Calif.
“He went to continue making sure he stays sober and on the right path,” a source says of the 37-year-old Odom’s decision, noting that:
“It was something he chose to do.”
According to the insider, Odom “did it for his kids” (he has two, with Liza Morales) and “also wanted to feel 100 percent again.”
“He did not relapse,” the source close to Lamar insists, “but felt like he wanted to get away and start fresh for the New Year.”
The athlete’s decision comes a year after he sought treatment to recover from an overdose at a (legal) brothel in Nevada.
Odom, as we all know by now, was found unconscious by a couple of prostitutes – who ultimately saved his life – in October 2015.
After being rushed to a hospital and later airlifted to Los Angeles, he was placed into an induced coma for more than two weeks.
“I can remember being scared half to death. … I was trapped in my body,” he later recalled on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
“I couldn’t even say ‘Excuse me’ or ‘Thank you.’”
“Now I’m taking it day by day.”
After his overdose, estranged wife Khloe Kardashian withdrew her divorce papers to oversee medical decisions and assist his recovery.
Unfortunately, there was no reconciliation, as she filed for divorce again in May; Khloe and Lamar’s divorce is nearly finalized.
If you watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians online, you’ll remember Khloe recalling being told he only had four hours to live.
Lamar defied friends, family and doctor’s expectations by surviving and pulling through, but then defied them in a different way:
By not committing to his recovery, or changing his lifestyle.
There were reports of Odom being back on crack, or even homeless after being kicked out of the house Khloe rented for him.
At least now, whatever drove him to rehab, he will be safe.
An E! News source sought to quell that talk, saying, “Lamar’s not homeless. He has a nice place in California. He is doing well.”
“He is determined to stay on the straight and narrow [path] and wants to be the best father that he can possibly be.”
“He is doing the work required to achieve that.”
Another source added of the latest path on the troubled star’s journey, “It is not easy, but he is focused and determined.”
He was last spotted in public shopping in Beverly Hills on December 6; Lamar’s rep could not be reached for comment.
