Remembering a legend. Practically two years after Kobe Bryant’s demise, fellow NBA athlete Lamar Odom is opening up about their friendship.
“Kobe was my teammate on the Lakers and we had been extra than simply teammates, we had been like brothers,” the Darkness to Gentle writer, 42, stated throughout a confessional interview on the Saturday, February 19, episode of Movie star Huge Brother. “I haven’t actually thought of how a lot I seemed as much as him however now that he’s not right here, I actually understand it. That day [when I learned about his death], it simply sticks in my reminiscence endlessly.”
Odom additionally shared his fond reminiscences of assembly and dealing the late Pennsylvania native with a number of of his fellow houseguests.
Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom. Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock
“I had a Kobe chain that was alleged to be despatched to me,” the Khloé and Lamar alum informed Cynthia Bailey, Shanna Moakler and Todrick Corridor on the CBS actuality TV present. “[He was] outspoken. He gonna converse his thoughts. He’s all the time been about enterprise. [I remember] we’re going to this basketball camp, he walks into the basketball camp [and] he’s acquired a briefcase. … You’d see it in his face. He would play injured, sick, he by no means missed no video games.”
He continued: “When he’s your teammate and turns into your brother, you feed off that. You need to try to attain that or at the least be nice at one thing.”
The New York native famous that the duo initially met again when he was 15 years previous and he continued trying as much as Bryant by the years.
“You understand, after I heard [about] the helicopter crash, I stated, ‘He alright,’ [because nothing could break him], however that wasn’t the case,” Odom added. “His will was, like, y’all wouldn’t even imagine it.”
The Oscar winner died in January 2020 at age 41 after a deadly helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Bryant was certainly one of 9 victims on board, together with his daughter Gianna “Gigi”. (He additionally shared Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5, and Capri, 2, with spouse Vanessa Bryant.)
“It felt like a darkish cloud simply came visiting town,” the Meet the Barkers alum, 46, recalled throughout Saturday’s episode.
Shortly after Kobe’s demise, Odom shared a heartfelt tribute to his former teammate.
“He taught me so many issues in life that had been obligatory on and off the court docket. On the court docket, he taught me how one can carve out defenses and how one can take my time. The right way to make successful my final aim,” the Dancing With the Stars alum wrote by way of Instagram on the time. “Off the court docket, he taught me to signal my very own checks lol. In fact anybody who is aware of my story is aware of I’ve suffered loads of loss however the one loss I can examine this to is after I misplaced my son. Regardless that our relationship wasn’t father/son, it was extra like him being a instructor and me being his brother.”
He added: “I’m glad I acquired to be the ying to your yang so far as the locker room was involved. It was my pleasure. I couldn’t even catch my breath at present after I heard this information. … No means God took my brother this early.”
Movie star Huge Brother airs on CBS Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. ET and Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
