“I knew I was dirty, so if I know I’m dirty I’m not gonna give them this piss” – 2x NBA champion reveals how he cheated on a drug test for Olympics, mentions winning bronze at Olympics was embarrassing
Lamar Odom is one of the most unique players in NBA history. After playing fourteen seasons and winning two Championships with the LA Lakers, Odom's life took a drastic turn. From being arrested for DUI to being put on life support after suffering several strokes, Odom has rebuilt himself from the ground up.
Odom's life has turned around in recent years. After recovering from a near-death experience and relearning how to walk again, Odom found sobriety. With several years of sobriety under his belt, the former two-time NBA champion considers his wildest days to be a distant memory.
Lamar Odom recently looked back at one of the craziest moments of his career. In a recent interview with 'Skip and Shannon: Undisputed' co-host Shannon Sharpe, Odom admitted to using a fake 'instrument' to pass an Olympic drug test. The instrument he used was called the 'Whizzinator'. He explained what was going through his head at the time:
"Yeah, I hope I ain't blowing the- I always wanted to play in the Olympics. That was like my big thing. For me it was like, David Stern call my name, Olympics, NBA Championship. ... I knew I was dirty, so if I know I'm dirty, I'm not going to give them this piss."
Unfortunately for Odom, Team USA fell short of winning the gold medal during his only Olympic appearance in 2004.
Lamar Odom's Journey To Recovery
What makes Odom's story even more shocking is that actually used 'The Whizzinator' prior to the 2004 Olympics. The public wasn't made aware of Odom's ongoing substance abuse problems until he was arrested for a DUI in 2013. At the time, former teammates and coaches expressed concern over Odom's alleged drug use.
Odom had struggled with drugs since before he was a teenager. At the age of 12, he turned to drugs to help him cope with his mother's death. Without a good support system, Odom's life continued to spiral out of control as his basketball career came to a close.
The arrest sparked a decade-long stretch where Lamar Odom developed addictions to everything from prescription pills to illegal substances like cocaine. Fortunately, he found his way back to sobriety and seems to be living his best life.
His revelation about using 'The Whizzinator' to pass a drug test will likely open the floor up to discussions surrounding testing procedures for Olympians.