Lamar Odom says he hopes his testimony will help ‘pull people out that dark hole’

[0:00] Lamar Odom's name has been in the headlines for decades as a New York high schooler setting [0:04] records to NBA stardom and his marriage to Khloe Kardashian. But with fame, sex and drugs, [0:09] it all came crashing down. In Netflix's Untold, the life and death of Lamar Odom, [0:13] the documentary exposes the lifelong struggles, pressure and tough decisions in Lamar's life that [0:18] led to the fall, but also his perseverance to rebuild his life and relationships. Let's take [0:22] a quick look. With Lamar, there are things that we accommodated. He would escape rehab and go on [0:28] a drug bender and no one could find him. I just felt such a responsibility to cover this up and [0:33] protect him. You can't keep up a facade anymore. It's all going to crash. The afterlife is not [0:47] what people make it up to be. Joining us now is two-time NBA champion, subject of Netflix's [0:53] Untold, Lamar Odom. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate you taking the time. [0:58] It's my pleasure. Of course, the documentary doesn't just chronicle [1:01] your life with the NBA or with Khloe Kardashian, but [1:06] it actually is a documentary about the life and death of Lamar Odom. [1:07] It actually starts out with your childhood. Why was it important, do you feel, to start with the [1:11] beginning, with your dad being absent, with your mother passing when you were a young man? [1:15] Well, I wanted to, I mean, well, I wasn't a producer or anything like that, but I think it was, [1:20] I wanted to expose people to my early childhood so they can feel like they get to know the man [1:27] a little bit more. Your children do express, on a number of occasions, disappointment, [1:34] times when you didn't show up for them. And yet, you know, when you end up, [1:38] in the hospital, they're there, they show up right away. Has your relationship [1:42] improved with them? I think so. I work on it every day. My sobriety is something I take really [1:50] serious. And as long as I, you know, practice, you know, being sober, then I'm going to always [1:56] be there for them. And, you know, the bond between a parent and child is unconditional love. [2:02] So ups, downs, ups and downs, we're all going to go through it. As parents, [2:08] as children. And I will always be there for them. You married Khloe Kardashian after just 30 days. [2:14] There were jokes about how long it was actually going to last. But even after she filed for [2:19] divorce the first time, then when you end up in the hospital, she's with you. She says, [2:25] you know, I put my life on hold for four months to be there with you. Even after you're out of [2:30] the hospital, she creates a safe environment for you. At any point, have you regretted that divorce? [2:35] Um, no, because that's kind of like, [2:39] God's plan. My grandma used to always say, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. [2:44] I wasn't expecting, you know, to get married in 30 days, but I was just living my life [2:49] and trying to live it to the fullest. But I just wasn't honest. [2:53] At one point, when you're just kind of relearning how to walk, how to talk, you say of her that I [3:00] haven't even been able to say, I thank you or I appreciate you. Have you subsequently? [3:05] I have. I have. We met not too long ago. [3:10] We filmed the premiere of, I think it was the Kardashians, or I think that's what they call it [3:15] now. The meeting to me really didn't go well, maybe because it was on camera and I really [3:21] wasn't ready for that. But I'm ready now and let Khloe know I'm sorry, you know, for the pain that [3:26] I caused her. One of the revelations in Untold is that it was Khloe and Kobe Bryant who were in the [3:33] hospital room when you needed to have basically this life-saving surgery, but it was maybe only [3:39] a 10% chance that it would work. And I think that's what it was. And I think that's what it was. [3:41] Kobe is obviously a hero to so many. Does that give new meaning to you of who he was? [3:48] I mean, he was the ultimate teammate on and off the court. A couple of my teammates were there [3:53] to show their support. And I think, you know, the support from people and support [3:57] from God is what got me through that. [4:02] A lot of people judge addicts in whatever it is, if it's gambling, if it's drugs, if it's sex. [4:10] But there are also, there can be some rationale, some science even behind addiction. Can you tell [4:19] us for you how difficult it is to live as an addict? [4:25] Well, you know, addicts just suffer from a brain disease. And I think the more that I educate [4:32] myself on that brain disease helps me to overcome it every day. And I just plan to, from here on [4:39] out, just to live my best life. [4:42] Drug-free. And I think that's, you know, my testimony. We're able to, you know, pull people [4:47] out that dark hole. [4:49] You say at one point during the documentary that you'd like to learn how to swim. You'd like to go [4:53] back to college, perhaps coach at a college level. You talk about your grandmother who was 50 when [4:59] she went back and graduated. How are those plans coming on on any of those fronts? [5:04] Slowly but surely. You know, I'm trying to, you know, get my degree as we speak. And, you know, [5:11] basketball is embedded in my life. [5:12] Brain. So hopefully one day I get that chance, whether it be at a pro level or college or maybe [5:18] even high school. [5:19] Twelve strokes, six heart attacks, yet here you sit. You say also that you know that you're here [5:28] for a reason. Have you found what that purpose is? [5:33] A hundred percent. It's to help everyone who suffered from the same disease that I suffered [5:40] from, you know, and that is addiction. It's a brain disease. [5:45] You shouldn't be ashamed of it. But there are some things that you can do to practice good habits. [5:51] So that brain disease doesn't take over your life. And that's all I can do day by day, step by step. [5:59] I think I'm like at almost 70 days clean and sober. And I know my purpose is here is probably to free [6:06] my people. And when I say my people, at least my family. If I start with myself, then it trickles [6:11] down to my family and then hopefully billions of others. [6:14] Lamar Odom. [6:15] Great to see you. [6:16] Doing so well. Thank you. Congratulations on the sobriety untold. The death and life [6:21] of Lamar Odom is available now to watch on Netflix.