Lamar Odom tried to get his basketball career back on track as he joined the Big3 League and was even being named a co-captain of The Enemies squad. However, his comeback lasted just one game as the Big3 decided to deactivate the player not because of any off-the-court troubles but because of competitive reasons.
Lamar Odom has been "deactivated" by @TheBIG3 after playing 1 game.
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 10, 2019
The 39-year-old power forward joined Baron Davis, Jermaine O’Neal, and Bonzi Wells on the deactivation list, and we will not see them for the remainder of the Big3 season. The two-time NBA champion struggled with drug addiction following his illustrious NBA career, and his last game in the league was for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2012-13 season.
Odom was hospitalized after being found in a coma at a Las Vegas brothel in 2015, and a drug overdose caused his condition. Lamar was also involved in a high-profile relationship with reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, but that also fell apart.
The Big3 wasn’t specific in giving a reason for the players’ deactivations, stating only that the moves were connected to the league’s plans to “maximize competition, protect the health of the players, and to raise the level of the professionalism of the Big3.”
🚨🚨🚨 BIG3 Announces Player and Staff Changes pic.twitter.com/RIPmyYOacS
— BIG3 (@thebig3) July 10, 2019
The Big3 was formed three years ago to help former NBA players and free agents try to find their way back to the league, and also to help them earn money as the popularity of the competition started to grow.
There are numerous former NBA stars who are participating in the Big3 this season. One of them is a seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson, who has been dominant in the Big3 this summer, leading all players in scoring.
