From two NBA championships to his high-profile marriage to Khloé Kardashian, Lamar Odom was a bona fide celebrity at the height of his career. However, a drug addiction and terrifying 2015 overdose nearly ended everything.
Now 46, Odom is recalling his personal and professional tribulations in Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom. Premiering March 31 on Netflix, the documentary features new commentary from the former basketball star about his near-death experience more than a decade ago, which landed him in a days-long coma and left him hospitalized for months.
Before hearing from the hoops great, here’s everything you need to know about Odom’s career and life now.
Who Is Lamar Odom?
Long before his own health problems, Odom overcame plenty of adversity to reach the pinnacle of basketball.
Lamar Odom was born in South Jamaica in the Queens borough of New York City on November 6, 1979. His father, Joe Odom, was a heroin addict and the two had an estranged relationship, though they seemingly reconciled prior to Joe’s death in April 2021. His mother, Cathy Mercer, died of colon cancer when he was 12.
Dealing with loss, a young Odom threw himself into basketball. “I was blessed because I knew at the age of let’s say, like, 7 years old, what I was going to do,” Odom told The View in 2019. “I had a gift … I was able to harness it.”
He became a high school phenom, named Parade All-American of the Year in 1997, and played one season at the University of Rhode Island before being drafted to the big leagues. He was the No. 4 pick in the 1999 NBA draft and played with four different teams in his NBA career. He won two NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010 before playing his final game in the league in 2013.
Aside from basketball, Odom is most famous for his marriage to Kardashian. The pair married within the first month of meeting each other, and just nine days after getting engaged, in 2009. The couple became the stars of their own reality TV show, Khloé & Lamar, which debuted in 2011 and ran for two seasons.
The couple separated in 2013 and their divorce was ultimately finalized in 2016, after Odom experienced a health emergency that nearly cost him his life.
What Happened During Lamar Odom’s 2015 Overdose?
The Untold episode focuses on the events leading into and following Odom’s near-fatal overdose at a Nevada brothel.
Odom struggled with drug use during his career, even receiving a suspension for failing two drug tests in 2001. His abuse of drugs, specifically cocaine, “killed my drive to want to train and be in shape” and likely ended his NBA career early, he told Us Weekly in 2017. His former fiancée Liza Morales, who appears in the new documentary, told People he turned to drugs after the 2006 death of their son, Jayden, who died of sudden infant death syndrome.
This culminated in an overdose on October 13, 2015. Odom was found unconscious at the Love Ranch, a former legal brothel in Crystal, Nevada, and hospitalized. He claimed doctors later told him he suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks, and he suggests in the Untold trailer he had a vision of the afterlife.
“I remember lying in bed. Two women were in bed and then I fell asleep. That’s all. When I woke up four days later, I was trying to pull the tubes out of my mouth,” Odom said to Us Weekly.
Odom claimed he did not drink or take drugs directly before the brothel encounter, suggesting to People in 2025 he may have consumed a spiked drink. Authorities reported he had a combination of cocaine and a Viagra-like medication in his system at the time.
Where Is Lamar Odom Now?
Following his overdose, Odom was transferred to a Los Angeles hospital and eventually released in January 2016.
Within a couple years, Odom attempted a return to the basketball court. He announced his plans to compete in the 2019 season of Big3, a three-on-three league created by Ice Cube and featuring many former NBA players. However, he played only one game before his deactivation.
Odom made a return to reality TV when he participated in season 28 of Dancing with the Stars in 2019, as well as the third season of Celebrity Big Brother in 2022, sharing the screen with houseguests such as actor Todd Bridges and UFC star Miesha Tate.
In February 2025, the basketball star reunited onscreen with ex-wife Khloé during a season six episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians. “To me, it really didn’t go well. I felt like I was under attack,” Odom told Page Six.
“She always tried to do her best, when it came to taking care of me. I know it could be a lot, especially when I was recovering from the [2015] incident,” he added.
The meeting apparently didn’t lead to a reconciliation, as the pair reportedly didn’t speak again until appearing in the Untold documentary.
Is Lamar Odom Sober?
In January 2026, Odom was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of DUI, driving more than 41 miles per hour over the speed limit, and failing to maintain travel in a street lane/improper lane change, according to USA Today, and is scheduled for a bench trial on July 7.
In a recent interview, Odom asserted he is almost 60 days completely sober, having not consumed any alcohol or marijuana since January 28, 2026.
“All of my doctors say I’m like a walking miracle because it’s, like, medically impossible for somebody to survive 12 strokes and six heart attacks while in a coma,” Odom told USA Today. “And so I just take it day by day, and I’m more than grateful for life.”
Watch Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom starting March 31
See Odom reflect on his past when Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom begins streaming March 31 on Netflix. This season of the sports documentary series also features episodes on the chess rivalry between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann (April 7), the Portland Trail Blazers (April 14), and the 2019 Hawthorne Hill shooting (April 21).
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
