Lamar Odom Mourns the Death of His Father Joe in a Touching Post

Retired NBA player Lamar Odom penned a touching message alongside a painting of him with his father, Joe Odom, who passed away on April 20.

Lamar Odom continues to mourn the loss of his beloved father, Joe Odom, who died on April 20. He recently took to Instagram to express his grief.

In his lengthy post, the former Los Angeles Lakers basketball star shared words of gratitude and appreciation for those who extended their condolences to him and his family.

The 41-year-old baller did not reveal the exact cause of his father's death and focused on honoring the latter's memory. He only had good words about his father. He admitted that he and Joe had their differences, but he knew that his father loved him dearly. He captioned:

"...but at the end of the day I knew he loved me and I loved him and that’s really all that matters."

Odom, who split from his ex-fiancée Sabrina Parr last December, shared a painting of himself beside his father. The artwork was based on one of his old photos of them together.

Noting that death is inevitable, he encouraged his fans to express their love for their family and friends and make amends with them because "life is not promised."

In 2015, Odom was discovered unconscious inside a brothel.

Odom also experienced the same grief when his former teammate, Kobe Bryant, tragically died in a helicopter crash with his daughter, Gianna, and their seven companions in January 2020.

During their time together with the LA Lakers, Odom and Bryant won back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2011. Odom was proclaimed the Sixth Man of the Year for the 2010-2011 season.

Odom's friendship with the late NBA star extended outside the basketball court. The self-confessed drug addict noted that Bryant taught him many things in life, including signing his own checks.

Bryant also helped him get through his gambling problem. Odom said the late star player would scold him for his gambling habit, but would offer help to solve his financial troubles anyway.

Odom referred to Bryant as his teacher and himself as the late athlete's brother. He went on to say that he would have preferred to be the one who died rather than Bryant.

In 2015, Odom was discovered unconscious inside a brothel. He was hospitalized after a drug overdose which led him into a comatose state, but he miraculously recovered.