Lamar Odom has recently been hearing some criticism from fans who are unhappy that he pawned his Los Angeles Lakers championship rings, and the former NBA star wishes one of his closest friends were still around to give him advice on how to handle the situation.
Odom and Kobe Bryant were close friends during their time playing together and after it ended, and Odom told TMZ this week that he is hurting over Kobe’s death like many others. Bryant helped Odom through some of his lowest moments in life, and Odom says he would have leaned on Kobe for advice with many Lakers fans currently upset with him.
“I miss him just for his advice,” Odom said. “The first advice I would ask him for is how do I get these fans to forgive me for pawning those rings — just for his brotherhood and leadership.”
As TMZ recently reported, Odom pawned his 2008-09 and 2009-10 Lakers championship rings years ago when he was having issues with his ex-wife Khloe Kardashian. The rings recently hit the auction block with Heritage Auctions, where the bidding has gotten up to $60,000 and is expected to eclipse $100K at some point.
Odom has battled addiction and had financial trouble since his playing career ended, and he recently revealed one of the ill-advised ways he blew a ton of money.
Odom nearly died of a drug overdose back in 2015, and the incident took place not long after two of his closest friends died. Kobe was one of the first people to reach out to Odom to help him then, and Lamar must be struggling with yet another major loss in his life.
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