Lamar Odom’s addiction story is on full display as Netflix releases a new documentary, Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom. The documentary premiered on March 31, just two months after Odom’s newest DUI arrest in Las Vegas in January of this year, showing that while addiction can be overcome, many sobriety battles are anything but permanent.
What We Now Know About Lamar Odom’s Addiction
Lamar Odom had a close call with death in 2015 after being found unconscious in a Las Vegas, Nevada brothel amid his divorce proceedings with fashion and reality-TV star Khloé Kardashian. The two married in 2009, only 30 days after meeting each other, but Kardashian reveals their marriage was plagued by Lamar Odom’s addiction to cocaine, infidelity, enabling on her part, and ultimately, tragedy.
Following Odom’s overdose, the two-time NBA star said he suffered from 12 strokes, six heart attacks, and was placed into a three-day coma, followed by months of rehabilitation to relearn how to walk, talk, and even use the restroom on his own. During this time, Kardashian says she stayed by her husband’s side, halting divorce proceedings while she helped nurse him back to health with help from a private home, in-home chef, and caregiver.
Sadly, Kardashian recalls the moment Lamar Odom’s addiction took hold once again after his release from the hospital. After catching him smoking crack cocaine in the home she rented for him, Kardashian said, “‘He was playing me so I can continue this lifestyle for him. I said, ‘By Monday, you need out of this house. I’m done. I’m not paying for a thing, and I never want to speak to you again.'” Kardashian would end up being only one of several lost loves of Lamar Odom.
Sobriety and Recovery For Odom
Odom’s severe cocaine use, continued legal trouble, and overdose aren’t all too surprising, considering that cocaine makes permanent changes to the brain, making it extremely difficult to recover from. Fortunately for Lamar Odom, hope is on the horizon for the 6’10” NBA star. He said in the documentary, “Before I die, I promise I’m going to learn how to swim and go back to school because I got a chance right now to coach in college really soon, and probably after that, probably in the NBA, if I want to.”
While Odom was arrested in January, he reports that he is sober from Marijuana and alcohol as of January 28, 2026. With continued support from his children, ex-wife, and the support of fans, Odom hopes to continue his path to recovery. His next court date will be a bench trial in Las Vegas on July 7.
