It has been more than seven years since Lamar Odom made his last appearance in the NBA. Now, the retired forward has decided to pick up the boxing gloves and has penned a celebrity boxing deal and is set to make his debut in June this year.
In recent times, boxing has seen appearances from athletes crossing over from other sport, including basketball. Last year, former guard Nate Robinson stepped foot inside the squared circle, clashing against YouTuber Jake Paul in November.
Now, Lamar Odom has become the latest celebrity to enter boxing. The former Los Angeles Lakers forward and a two-time NBA champion, Odom has signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing.
While his opponent is yet to be decided, Odom will make his debut as a boxer on 12th June, at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City.
Lamar Odom signs deal with Celebrity Boxing, to make debut on June 12
The news was confirmed by Celebrity Boxing on Instagram, who shared a couple photos and videos of Odom signing his deal, who even asked the netizens about his possible matchup.
“I’m real excited,” Odom said in the short clip, “I just signed a deal with celebrity boxing. Who do you guys think I should fight?”
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In 1999, Lamar Odom joined LA Clippers as a 4th overall draft pick, before moving to Lakers in 2004. He won the championship back to back in 2009 and 2010 and was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.
Odom clinched a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and a gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. In 2011, he left Lakers and joined Dallas Mavericks for one year, before returning to Clippers in 2012.
In 2014, Odom made his debut in the Liga ACB with Laboral Kutxa Baskonia, but only made two appearances for them before he returned to the States because of a back injury. He was signed by New York Knicks for the remainder of the season but did not make any appearance.
The 41-year-old was set to return to the basketball court in the US-based 3-on-3 basketball league BIG3 and was even named the co-Captain for the Enemies team for the 2019 season. Unfortunately he was dropped by the squad after struggling in the first game.