Lamar Odom says he was able to reconnect with his two NBA championship rings thanks to the generosity of a Lakers fan.
In the inaugural episode of his new On the Lopodcast with co-host Tavorris Bell, Odom reflected on his state of mind at the time he made the decision to put the two rings (from 2009 and 2010, respectively) up for auction.
“There was a time when I came up out the coma and, you know, I checked my account and shit was at, like, double zero,” Odom said, marking a reference to his overdose-spurred coma in 2015. “I panicked a little bit.”
As Odom explained, his mind “wasn’t really right” when he put the championship rings up for sale. As TMZ notes, the rings ultimately sold at auction for $36,600 and $78,000.
“My mind wasn’t really right, in the right place, and I put them up for auction,” he recalled. “It hurt me just to even say that. So, whatever, I put ‘em up. I put the money in my pocket. I put it to use, made some use of it. I think that money kinda even helped me get back here, which is crazy. But it was embarrassing for me to do that.”
But at a Lakers game years later, Odom spotted a familiar face. And although he declined to provide the individual’s real name, he expressed deep gratitude for this person’s actions.
“Some years go by and I happen to make my way back to LA. … [The Lakers] hooked me up with some good tickets,” Odom said. “I get there and I see this guy who used to sit right by us. Let’s call him ‘France,’ for right now. My man France. So he says, ‘Yo Lamar, you know I bought your rings.’ I was like, ‘Oh shit.’ Because at this point, you know, I’m still embarrassed.”
From there, “France” invited Odom to come pick up his rings, asking nothing in return.
“I think it goes to show you how serious Lakers fans are,” Odom said later into the episode. “Lakers fans are real serious.”
