Former basketball star Lamar Odom has acquired three drug rehabilitation centers in California to help people beat addiction. The NBA champion’s investment in the rehab centers comes seven years after his near-death experience at Nevada’s Love Ranch brothel. The 43-year-old was battling drug addiction and depression at the time.
Per TMZ, the investment in the three drug treatment centers is a collaborative effort between Odom as well as Christian hip-hop artist Dontae Ralston, and skateboarding legend Dennis Martinez. The facilities are located in San Diego, El Cajon, and Lemon Grove.
Odom’s representative told the news outlet that the facilities are made up of a residential treatment home for women as well as two detox and residential treatment homes for men. The facilities will also be named the “Odom Wellness Treatment Centers.” The former Los Angeles Lakers star also said he will be “highly involved” with individuals who visit the facilities to seek treatment. Odom also reportedly said he is “ready to start saving lives.”
“He wants to help everyone he can,” his rep said. “He is thankful that he was given a second chance at his life and feels his destiny is to help others.”
In October 2015, Odom had a brush with death after he was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel following an alleged drug overdose. The October incident left him in a coma and on life support. He also suffered kidney failure, heart attacks, and multiple strokes.
However, following his recovery, Odom claimed he was drugged the night before he was found unresponsive in the brothel. “I didn’t take anything that night,” Odom said in an interview on Addiction Talk. “I was really hurt and almost in some sense afraid because somebody just tried to take my life.”
Odom also said God gave him another shot at life because he genuinely hadn’t consumed any drugs leading up to the alleged overdose. The retired basketball star said that incident spurred him to seek help and permanently stay clean as he hit “rock bottom.”
Odom’s rep said the retired basketball star intends to acquire two more rehabilitation facilities in California.
