Former L.A. Lakers teammate Pau Gasol strongly encouraged Lamar Odom to sign with the Spanish League team he agreed to play for last week, all in hopes of making his way back to the NBA.
The 34-year-old Odom agreed to play the remainder of the season for Laboral Kutxa (also known as Saski Baskonia on Friday and the team held a news conference formally welcoming the two-time NBA champion.
"A new beginning," Odom told the L.A. Times of his motivation for joining the Spanish franchise. "A new environment was important for me."
Odom averaged 13.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists through 14 NBA seasons, six with the Lakers. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award winner played for the Clippers last season, the franchise that originally drafted him in 1999.
"I got to play in the incredible city of L.A. and win championships and play with players like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, coached by Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, Odom told The Times. "Then sometimes you get to a point in your life where less is more."
As for the opportunity, Odom told The Times "I was told about Baskonia through my agent. I spoke to Pau. I understood that Pau had a great relationship with Coach Sergio Scariolo, that was one of the main reasons why I wanted to come."
Odom is also in the midst of a messy divorce from reality TV wife of four-years, Khloe Kardashian. The 29-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star formally filed for divorce in December citing irreconcilable differences.
"Some may have thought that I had lost focus and love for the game, so it was important for me to regain that love for the game," Odom told The Times. "And what better place and what better team to do it for than Baskonia?"
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