Lamar Odom, the former NBA star, has opened up about his brush with death during a candid appearance on The Kyle & Jackie O Show.
Reflecting on his 2015 overdose, Odom, now 45, shared the hazy memories he has of the ordeal and how his battle with addiction—and one fateful drink—brought him to the brink before his journey to recovery began, according to PEOPLE.
“I do remember, but I don’t really remember because I was in a coma,” he began. “I remember being upset that I didn’t have any cocaine to take to the brothel. I had just signed the divorce papers and I thought I was just gonna go all the way in,” he said, referring to his split from ex-wife Khloé Kardashian.
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Odom explained that he put a certain amount of money onto his credit card, hoping to “keep this a secret.” He recalled “having a drink and then waking up three days later with it all over the news.”
Odom revealed that while he hadn’t taken drugs himself, hospital staff informed him that drugs were found in his system when he regained consciousness after his overdose.
“I don’t know what they were able to slip into my drink or what,” he added. “When I woke up, I couldn’t walk or talk. So it took you know, it took some months of rehabilitation and a lot of prayers, a lot of determination.”
“Now my mission is probably to help people who have the same problem who couldn’t help themselves be able to understand addiction and understand that it’s a brain disease,” he said. “It’s important for people to really understand and educate themselves.”
Jackie O questioned Odom on whether he viewed his near-fatal overdose as a chance for personal growth.
“Yeah,” he replied. “You have nothing to do after you beat your death.”
On October 13, 2015, Odom was hospitalized after being found unconscious in a Nevada brothel with cocaine and opiates in his system. Kardashian stayed by his side throughout his four-day coma. Reflecting on the incident years ago, the former Lakers star acknowledged how fortunate he was to have survived.
“All my doctors that see me say I’m a walking miracle. I had 12 strokes and six heart attacks when I was in a coma,” he said during an interview with Kevin Hart in 2018. “Every day, I’m alive. It’s much better than the alternative.”
