Lamar Odom had one of his dreams come true Wednesday night ... sort of.
The two-time NBA champion reportedly still dreams of returning to the league, despite suffering a near-fatal overdose at a Nevada brothel back in October. Odom has made a miraculous recovery, but a return to the NBA would be almost unheard of.
Odom returned to an NBA court on Wednesday as he sat courtside when his former Lakers took on the Cavaliers, according to Page Six. It was a thrilling game too, which saw Los Angeles pick up just its 16th victory of the season, 102-100, in overtime.
The 6-foot-10, 230-pound former forward served as the Lakers special V.I.P. at the invite of Kobe Bryant, who is playing in his final NBA season. Odom, 36, was said to be very chatty during the game in his first visit to the Staples Center since almost losing his life to the overdose nearly six months ago.
Odom, 36, was given a standing ovation by the crowd in attendance, and called the outing "awesome," while adding, "I got goose bumps," according to TMZ.
The Lakers fans showed Lamar Odom some love last night https://t.co/gxDv6BD842 pic.twitter.com/9K69ml8Fbi
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) March 31, 2016
Players in attendance were happy to see him, including Dwyane Wade, who tweeted about Odom's appearance after the game:
Made losing this game not matter "as much" after getting a chance to spend time with my guy LO. #GodisGood https://t.co/qlCisZ7RT6 — DWade (@DwyaneWade) March 31, 2016
Though it seems like a long shot, Odom still has aspirations of returning to the court as an active player and rekindling the romance he once had with his wife, Khloe Kardashian.
"Just like returning to the NBA may be a pipe dream, so is a reconciliation with Khloe, but both are dreams of his and keep him dedicated to work hard," a source close to the former NBA star told HollywoodLife.com earlier this month. "If he can achieve either dream, NBA or get back with Khloe, it would be the ultimate comeback."
He started on that ultimate comeback by simply appearing at a game on Wednesday, but he has plenty of work to do if he ever intends to fully grasp those dreams. It is especially hard to make them a reality if he keeps drinking.
Kardashian has publicly stated she's working on repairing their friendship and has no romantic thoughts of Odom, despite her admitting she believes he is her soul mate. Given Odom's past issues with drugs, alcohol and being unfaithful to the "Kocktails with Khloe" host, it's not hard to see why she'd be skeptical over a reunion.
Kardashian, however, has been there for Odom through thick and thin and even halted her divorce proceedings to support him emotionally and financially during his crisis.
The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star has been all over the place with Odom as of late, but she wasn't spotted with him at the Lakers game.
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Great to see Lamar Odom at Staples Center tonight https://t.co/ibVanGn68y
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 31, 2016
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