Former NBA champion Lamar Odom offers an intimate look into his battle with addiction, recovery, and spiritual awakening in a revealing new documentary on Netflix. Premiering on March 31, “Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom” exposes the raw details surrounding his near-fatal overdose at a Nevada brothel in 2015.
The 46-year-old ex-Los Angeles Laker candidly recounts his struggles with substance abuse, his widely publicized marriage, and his close encounter with death. At the height of his career in 2009, Odom married Khloé Kardashian, embracing the celebrity lifestyle that came with the Kardashian name. However, within a few years, his addiction to cocaine and crack cocaine deepened, causing his life to unravel. He admitted to freebasing the drug, a method that intensifies the drug’s effects and dangers.
In the documentary, Khloé Kardashian reveals how she unintentionally became an enabler, often discovering Lamar in hotel rooms and alleyways surrounded by drug paraphernalia such as spoons and tinfoil. At just 24, Khloé felt trapped by the situation, especially as Lamar suggested that losing him would mean losing everything. To protect his public image, she concealed his addiction for years.
Before his overdose, Khloé arranged a professional intervention, setting a three-month deadline for Lamar to enter rehab or face divorce. When confronted, Lamar chose to continue his addiction. Khloé recalls him asking for a quick divorce, saying, “All I want is my passport.” Despite this, she rushed to his side weeks later when he was found unconscious at the Nevada brothel.
Lamar suffered severe medical trauma from the incident, enduring six heart attacks and twelve strokes before slipping into a coma. Medical professionals told his family that surviving the first night was miraculous. After awakening, Odom required extensive rehabilitation to regain basic functions such as walking and speaking.
Khloé remained by his side at Cedars-Sinai Hospital every day for four months, supporting his recovery. Reflecting on the experience, she admitted, “I was such an enabler without knowing I was an enabler. I just felt such a responsibility to cover this up, hold it together, and protect him.” This documentary sheds light on the complexities of addiction and the challenges faced by those close to it.
