Lamar Odom was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Las Vegas over the weekend after a Nevada State Police trooper spotted the 46-year-old, two-time NBA champion driving more than 100 mph, according to KTNV 13 Action News’ Tuesday report.
Around 2:20 a.m. on Saturday, the trooper saw a black SUV speeding on Interstate 15, where the speed limit was posted at 65 mph. When the trooper pulled over the car, which also changed lanes without signaling, they found Odom and an unidentified male passenger, per KTNV, which reported that both had red, watery eyes and smelled of marijuana.
Odom, a former 14-year NBA veteran who’s been open about his previous struggles with drug addiction and depression, was notably arrested and charged with DUI in 2013.
When Odom was searching for his registration and insurance, he tried to initiate conversation with the trooper, according 8 News Now, which cited documents it obtained Tuesday. He asked how the trooper’s night was going besides him “driving like he was ‘in Back to the Future,'” the report stated, via 8 News Now.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 25: (L-R) Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics at Crypto.com Arena on December 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
(Allen Berezovsky via Getty Images)
When Odom was asked why he was speeding — 8 News Now reported that his SUV was tracked going as fast as 106 mph — he reportedly changed his story multiple times, first noting that he was “almost home” and then later saying that he was headed to his friend’s house.
Odom reportedly followed a similar pattern when he was asked about the last time he consumed marijuana. At one point, he quickly changed his answer from he “doesn’t really smoke” to saying he “does not smoke,” according to the report 8 News Now obtained. Eventually, Odom admitted he smoked “maybe earlier today.”
The report showed that Odom failed the sobriety tests he was given and then was arrested, per 8 News Now.
As of Tuesday, Odom was no longer in custody, per The Associated Press, which cited Clark County jail records. He was booked there on charges of DUI, driving more than 41 miles per hour over the speed limit and failing to maintain travel in a street lane/improper lane change, as reported by USA Today.
He has a hearing scheduled for March 17.
Odom played for four different NBA teams from 1999-2013 before drug abuse derailed the remainder of the forward’s basketball career. It also ruptured is marriage to Khloé Kardashian. An overdose left him comatose for three days in a Vegas hospital when he was found unconscious in a brothel in 2015, although Odom still says he doesn’t recall taking drugs that night.
Odom was part of the NBA All-Rookie first team with the Los Angeles Clippers, who drafted him No. 4 overall out of Rhode Island in 1999. He became the league’s Sixth Man of the Year with the Lakers in 2011 after helping the franchise win back-to-back titles in 2009-10.
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