Warning: this article contains discussion of drug abuse some may find distressing
Former NBA player Lamar Odom has spoken more about what his ex-wife Khloé Kardashian did for him after his near-fatal overdose in 2015.
Odom, now 46, married Kardashian, 41, in September 2009 shortly after they began dating. They separated in 2013, with the divorce finalized in 2016.
At the time, Odom was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, and their relationship was frequently overshadowed by reports of infidelity as well as Odom’s struggles with substance addiction.
In 2015 — before their divorce was complete — Odom suffered a near-fatal overdose. The incident and its aftermath are revisited in his Netflix documentary Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom.
Although they were no longer together, Kardashian is said to have remained at his side throughout his hospitalization, and later arranged for him to stay in a home with support including a caretaker and a chef as he worked on recovery.
“We were determined to get him moving and walking again. He did learn to walk again [at the hospital] and that was really special,” she said.
After the documentary premiered on March 31, Odom addressed comments that Kardashian “saved his life,” following a medical crisis that included six heart attacks and 12 strokes and left him in a coma for three days.
During an interview with Today with Jenna and Sheinelle, Jenna Bush Hager asked him directly: “She stood by your side, she saved your life. Do you feel that way?”
In response, the New York native said: “In some ways. God saved my life. My lord saved my life, honestly.”
“Khloe stepped in… and stayed by your side. A lot of us were saying ‘She rode hard for you’,” Sheinelle Jones said.
“Yeah, she took care of me,” admitted Odom. “But God took care of me the most. What I came back from is like a medical miracle.”
Elsewhere in Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, Kardashian describes a moment when she confronted Odom and says it escalated into her punching him.
She explained that she went to the house she had been renting for him and believed she could smell crack.
“Okay, I’m gonna f***ing be stealth as possible, and I’m going to see what this guy’s doing.
“I remember slowly tiptoeing up the stairs he was in his bedroom sitting on the edge of the bed smoking crack.”
She went on to explain what she did next, saying: “I just punched him in his face. ‘I just put my life on hold to f****ng take care of you. How did you get this? You don’t have a f****ng phone. You can’t talk’
“Well lo and behold, he had a phone. He was better than I knew.
“He was playing me so I can continue this lifestyle for him.”
Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom is available to stream on Netflix now.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.