As previously reported, Lamar Odom is out of rehab and trying to stay sober.
But is he also trying to jump back into the spotlight?
The former NBA star and ex-husband of Khloe Kardashian just spent 35 days inside a facility that was meant to help him overcome his issues with substance abuse.
These issues played a role in shortening Odom’s basketball career and crested in October of 2015, when he nearly died after an overdose in Las Vegas.
It was a seriously scary incident that landed Odom in the hospital for several weeks.
It took him a very long time to regain all of his mental and physical capabilities, with doctors saying he only had a 50 percent chance to live after he was initially brought in.
But Odom defied the odds and recovered entirely.
Sadly, however, even a brush with death could not cure Odom of his drug and alcohol dependence.
Not long after emerging from a coma and trying to rebuild his life, Odom once again fell off the wagon, although at least he seemed to grasp the depths of his problem.
It took getting kicked off a plane for being drunk… and it took more dangerous partying with strippers… but Odom eventually relented and checked into rehab.
Which brings us to this week.
While out shopping in Beverly Hills on Thursday, Odom was stopped by TMZ and asked about his post-rehab plans.
At first, he said he just wanted to “live life,” but he then mentioned the possibility that he would return to reality television.
Check out his response below:
We can’t pretend to know the particulars of all Odom has gone through.
Maybe he really needs money. Maybe it will be cathartic for him to tell his story in front of a reality television camera.
But it seems unlikely, doesn’t it?
How often does anything positive come out of one appearing on a reality TV show?
Don’t the odds of Odom faltering under the pressure of Hollywood and the limelight seem a lot higher than the odds of him harmlessly anchoring his very own program?
We’re just concerned here.
By all accounts, Lamar is a terrific guy.
Even after all he did to Khloe (lying, cheating, doing drugs), Kardashian stuck by his side.
Maybe not in a legal sense; their divorce was finalized late last year. But in an emotional sense, and even a physical sense if you include all the time she spent by his hospital bed after that scary incident in Vegas.
Khloe has always maintained that Odom is her true love.
Moreover, go ahead and ask any former NBA teammate of Odom. He’s universally adored in the NBA. Everyone who has ever worked with Odom wishes him the best.
And so do we.
That’s why we’re so afraid that he is being given bad advice in this situation.
Yes, a reality TV show may make Lamar rich. We’d have to guess that any number of networks would line up to sign a deal with the trouble star.
But would a reality TV show make Lamar rich in spirit? Would such attention really be beneficial in the long run?
It’s just something to think about.
We wish you very well, Lamar.