Lamar Odom’s plight has impacted many NBA stars who were longtime teammates of his such as Kobe Bryant and Knicks coach Derek Fisher. Many have spoken on Odom’s big personality, and it turns out he had a big effect on players he shared just one season with.
Odom spent one year on the Heat before being dealt as a key part of a trade that landed Shaquille O’Neal in South Beach. In that time, Heat star Dwyane Wade and head coach Erik Spoelstra said it felt like they’d been with Odom for years.
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“It seems strange, like he played for us for an entire career. He’s one of the most giving and sharing human beings I’ve ever been around in my life …. You always feel better when you leave a conversation or interaction with Lamar,” Spoelstra said.
Wade piggybacked on that comment. “He’s one of the good ones, just a good human being. You don’t run into too many people like that who is just a genuine, good person. The impact he had on all of us individually (in 2003-04), I can’t even explain it. It is one of those moments where it hurts.”
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Wade was one of the first NBA players to offer well wishes on Twitter to Odom, who is in a Nevada hospital breathing with the aid of machines. He was found unconscious in a brothel, and is believed to have taken cocaine and “herbal Viagra.”
Odom was at one time one of the best players in the NBA. He won two NBA titles, and a Sixth Man of the Year award. Despite playing just one season for the Heat, he even impacted players he never shared the court with.
“He was one of my heroes growing up – a 6-10 left-handed guy who was ahead of his time,” Heat forward Chris Bosh said. “Me being a history buff of the game, he’s one of the reasons why I’m in the league and the way I play. He was a huge influence to me.”
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