Lamar Odom’s pregame routine might have contributed to the downfall of his NBA career.
During an appearance on “The LADE Show” podcast, the former forward — who won two titles with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in his 14-season career — explained the strange way he dealt with nerves before home and road games.
“I used to always jerk off and I think about it because I probably took some of my energy,” Odom, 44, said, which drew laughs from podcast host Aron Cohen and Lakers guard Max Christie, who was also a guest on the show.
Warning: Graphic language
“I was at home at the crib. Hotel room [jerking off]. That’s why sometimes I would rather play on the road.”
There was a slightly awkward pause before Christie started discussing how he processes his nerves before stepping onto the court.
Elsewhere during the conversation, Odom was asked what advice he would give to Christie as a young player in the league.
“Wear a condom,” Odom said, laughing. “…No, for real.”
Odom doubled down on his message before telling the 21-year-old to “work and show up.”
Odom was the fourth overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1999 NBA Draft and went on to make the All-NBA rookie first team in 2000. He was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.
The 6-foot-10 Odom spent the first four seasons of his career with the Clippers before a short stint with the Miami Heat in 2003-04.
He was then traded to the Lakers and won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
A New York native, Odom had incredible success with late Lakers great Bryant on one of the most storied NBA franchises.
Off the court, however, Odom’s life spiraled.
In October 2015, Odom was found unconscious inside the Nevada brothel Love Ranch following an overdose — three months after his divorce from Khloé Kardashian was finalized.
The incident resulted in Odom falling into a coma for three days, and he previously said he suffered 12 strokes, six heart attacks and damage to his kidney and liver.
The ex-couple, who often appeared on her family’s reality show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” tied the knot in September 2009. Kardashian filed for divorce in December 2013.
Odom spent time with the Mavericks from 2011-12, followed by a reunion with the Clippers from 2012-13.
He then took his talents to the Laboral Kutxa Baskonia of the Spanish League and the Euroleague in 2014, only to return home a month later due to a back injury.
Odom hung up his jersey for good in 2014.
