Former NBA champion Lamar Odom is opening up about the life-threatening overdose that nearly killed him and the experience he says felt like stepping into the afterlife.
Odom reflects on the 2015 incident in the upcoming Netflix documentary “Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom,” which premieres March 31. Directed by Ryan Duffy, the film follows the former Los Angeles Lakers forward as he looks back on his basketball success, his battle with addiction, and the medical emergency that changed his life.
In the trailer, Odom describes just how serious the health crisis became after he was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel in October 2015.
“I had 12 strokes and six heart attacks,” Odom says. “That’s not no average s**t.”
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He also claims the experience took him somewhere beyond physical pain.
“The afterlife is not what people make it out to be,” Odom says in a closing moment from the preview.
The documentary also includes interviews with people who were close to him during that time, including his ex-wife Khloé Kardashian. The two married in 2009 before separating in 2013, and Kardashian recalls trying to shield Odom’s struggles from public view.
She says she often felt it was her responsibility “to cover this up and protect him,” while remembering times when Odom would leave rehab programs and disappear during drug binges.
Odom has continued to discuss the roots of his addiction publicly. During an appearance on Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter’s “Cousins” podcast, he explained that his substance use began when he was a teenager.
“Pot,” he said when asked where it started.
“If you start with pot and it don’t get high no more, you’re like, ‘Maybe I’ll try cocaine,’” Odom added. “I had some great cocaine summers. You’re talking to a real addict.”
Now 46, Odom has said he remains focused on accountability and recovery as he continues working to rebuild his life.
