"F****ng trade me": Two-Time NBA champ urged Lakers to trade him after rumors of involvement in vetoed Chris Paul deal
In 2011, the LA Lakers were pushing for a Chris Paul trade to go for another championship. However, things got messy with Lamar Odom and the Lakers organization. Odom was one of the most important pieces of the Kobe Bryant-led team that won championships in 2009 and 2010.
Odom was one of the players rumored to be included in the trade package for CP3, who played for the New Orleans Hornets. However, much to the frustration of the Lakers, the trade didn’t go through. After getting his name involved in the trade, Odom demanded to be traded.
When asked about why Odom was traded even though the CP3 trade didn’t go through, Odom said that he felt betrayed by the team. The two-time NBA champion said that after all he had gone through as a Laker, he never thought he would have been traded from the team.
“I think I wanted to be traded," Odom said. "I was like yeah f****** trade me, then. My cousin just passed away, too. I thought that the Lakers wouldn’t trade me too, 'cause my cousin just got killed. And what I went through the Lakers was my son died when I was playing with the Lakers. Again, I am letting the personal s*** involve in business.”
Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a first-round draft pick and an $8.9 million trade exception on Dec. 11, 2011.
Odom only played two more seasons: one year with the Mavs and his last year with the LA Clippers.
Chris Paul extended support to Odom when he was hospitalized
Chris Paul and the LA Clippers lost to the Charlotte Hornets on Oct 13, 2015. After the game, Paul showed love to Lamar Odom, who had retired after playing with Paul with the Clippers.
“I wanted to extend love and support to one of our NBA brothers, Lamar Odom,” Paul said. “We love you, man. Keep fighting. He’s a member of this fraternity, our basketball brotherhood, and we love you and we’re all there for you, man.”
Odom was hospitalized on Oct 12, 2015, after he fell unconscious at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada, 70 miles away from Las Vegas. Kobe Bryant and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak visited him in the hospital.
Odom started his career with the Clippers in 1999-2000, playing four seasons with the team. He was traded to the Miami Heat in the 2003-04 season, and the following season he was traded to the LA Lakers. He won two championships with the Lakers playing alongside Bryant.