Lamar Odom was truly one of the most unique players to ever play in the NBA. Nearly seven-feet tall, Odom had the ball-handling skills of a point guard, could step out and knock down 3-pointers, and had the length and quickness to guard basically five positions.
He never quite reached his true potential, but that didn’t stop Odom from showing his immense talent on the basketball floor. Such was the case against the Golden State Warriors on April 11, 2006.
Fighting for a playoff spot, the Lakers needed everything they could get from the entire team. Kobe Bryant was already going to do everything possible, but he needed some serious help and it came from Odom.
He produced a triple-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Lakers to a 111-100 victory over the Warriors. As usual, Kobe led the team offensively with 31 points, but Odom was the catalyst necessary as the Lakers pushed towards the playoffs.
There simply wasn’t anything Odom couldn’t do and that was on full display on this night. Odom did everything and he had the skills to pull it off.
The Lakers also got 18 points and four steals from Smush Parker and 15 points, and 15 rebounds from Kwame Brown in what was their second win in a row. But the all-around play from Odom was spark needed.
The Lakers would go on to win their final five games and give the Phoenix Suns all they could handle in the first round before finally falling in seven games. Odom would continue to be a huge contributor for the Lakers for the next several years, winning two championships. This night was a symbol of what Odom could do on any given night.
He never became a true star and some would say he never really fulfilled his potential, but Odom was one of the most popular players in the Lakers recent history and on this night, once again, he was vital to the success of the team.
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