STORIES
Sports
DONATE

Lamar Odom

by Dominic from Mission Viejo

"It's hard not to shoot the ball when you can make shots from everywhere."
Picture of Lamar Odom (http://www.sportswallpapershd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Lamar-Odom.jpg)
Picture of Lamar Odom (http://www.sportswallpapershd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Lamar-Odom.jpg)

I heard about Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) (Wikipedia) the day he was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers. A brand new, 6 foot 10 inch man drafted after only one year of college. Just hearing about his statistics in his young basketball career made me admire him right off the bat. However, the more I watched Lamar Odom play, the better I thought of him. I noticed he is very humble. He is not a show-off and he is just happy to play basketball. There are so many good players that act so great, that are so full of themselves; this is not Lamar Odom. One Mother's Day, Lamar Odom spoke on live television and talked about his life and his appreciation for his mother and grandmother. He talked about the difficulties he went through when he was a kid, his dad was a heroin addict and his mother died when he was 12. Yet, he talked about how thankful he was for her and for all she did for him while she was a part of his life. He then talked about his grandmother who took care of him after his mother died. It was truly incredible to see a man be so thankful after experiencing so many rough times. Also, another thing is that Lamar does charity work for Cathy's kids, a program that helps under-privileged kids and supports kids fighting cancer. You can tell that Lamar is not all about the money or the fame, he is a generous and thankful man with a love and talent for basketball. That is what attracts me to my hero most.

Lamar Shooting (http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/001/189/843/112165946_crop_340x234.jpg?1303411292)
Lamar Shooting (http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/001/189/843/112165946_crop_340x234.jpg?1303411292)

The career of a professional basketball player has mainly one responsibility, to play basketball and play it really well. Their tasks require a lot of practice, being interviewed, traveling a lot, going to team events or fan events, but mainly just playing basketball. This may seem easy, but being in the NBA is nothing easy to be in. The percent of all basketball players that will make it to the NBA is .05%. This means that 5 out of 10,000 basketball players will make it into the NBA. This is not really based on education; it is almost entirely based on school. Many NBA stars did not do well at all in high school, they just got by. However, that skill really pays off in note that an NBA player like Lamar Odom makes almost $2.5 million each year. A related career to an NBA player would be another professional athlete; they make the same amount of money. The NBA is growing more popular, it is becoming harder to get into. More people are watching and players are getting better each year. Being an NBA star is very difficult. It is not a job someone would want to rely on and forget about education for. However, Lamar Odom pulled it off and that is another reason he is my hero.

Lamar Odom did not have an easy childhood. "He grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, ravaged by the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and 90s (lamarodom.com). He was raised by only his mother because his father was a heroin addict and was never around. Living in such a rough area, he needed safety. "Yet, his mother died of colon cancer when he was only 12 years old" (lamarodom.com). Lamar Odom loved his mother very much, he says, "She was really outgoing, the light in everybody's eye," he said, "The life of the party. People loved her. A lot of my personality, the way I deal with people, it's definitely through her" (lamarodom.com). Without his mother, Lamar could have been in a lot of trouble. However, his grandmother came to New York to raise him. Lamar had the qualities needed to become an NBA player, talent and motivation. Lamar proved this as he was a star basketball player for "Christ the King High, he burst into the national consciousness, scoring 36 points en route to the city championship. His senior season, Parade Magazine named him the 1997 Player of the Year" (lamarodom.com). After high school, "Lamar proved his talent at Rhode Island University and then even more so when he was drafted to the Los Angeles Clippers after one year in college in 1999" (lamarodom.com). Since his draft, Lamar Odom has continued to increase his talent, wowing crowd after crowd and winning 2 championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. Not only is Lamar a great basketball player, he also owns an awesome clothing company called Rich Soil Clothing. Not only is he an NBA player, he is also technically a businessman.

Lamar Odom, along with getting a lot from the world, gives a lot back to it. He is very involved in a foundation he started in 2004 called Cathy's kids; "in honor of his mother, he started Cathy's Kids, a foundation aimed at helping urban youths get opportunities he never had" (lamarodom.com). Cathy's Kids is all about helping under-privileged kids and giving funding their needs for education, etc. "Lamar is also committed to generating funds for continued research, care and clinics as well as education and awareness programs related to cancer, especially for minorities" (lamarodom.com). Lamar is a very thankful and generous basketball player. It is incredible to see a man who grew up in such rough times give back so much. Teammate Josh Powell says on an interview, "I'm here to support Lamar Odom and his foundation, Cathy's Kids. This is a great thing he is doing" (hollyscoop.com).

Lamar Odom did not do well grade-wise in high school, which I am. In order to achieve my goal of being like him, I must stay motivated and keep practicing. Although being in the NBA is very uncommon, his story of success can go for all careers. He stuck to what he knew he wanted to do and worked toward it. Basketball is my favorite sport and I would love to play professionally or semi-professionally, however it is unlikely to happen. But Lamar Odom isn't my hero because he plays basketball; he is my hero because he rose up to such success from starting from such a poor and rough position. He is like the rose that grew in the concrete. When I go to college, I will try my best to be a shining star just like Lamar was. I want to be well-known and wanted by many companies or teams. Once I achieve my career and earn this beautiful success, I will also give back to the people who have dreams that may seem unrealistic as well. If I do have a basketball career, I will also want to entrepreneur in a business, like Lamar. Clothing has always been an interest of mine and I would love to start a company that sells clothing of my own design. I will live through my life trying to copy the path that Lamar Odom took. Lamar is my hero because he started from almost nothing and built such great success. Through this, he remains humble and helps many people. You do not see many basketball players or athletes that are like this. He is an incredible person who I want to be like. He is very thankful and he knows that his success was not built by himself. I, like Lamar, will always be thankful for my family's, God's, and my friends' help and I will give back to them. Lamar is a perfect example of who I want to be in my later life.

Page created on 6/18/2011 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 6/18/2011 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links