Former NBA star Lamar Odom has opened up about his latest ink - a tribute to a special somebody in his life. The 42-year-old recently revealed he got a tattoo of Kobe Bryant's face on his neck after having multiple dreams about the late athlete during his time on Celebrity Big Brother. Odom opened up to Page Six about what drove him to the tat, so let's take a closer look...
First, a little Lakers history. If you're a Clippers fan or you just started watching the NBA, let us break it down for ya. Starting in the early 2000s, the two shared a long history on and off the courts. Odom joined the Lakers in 2004 after Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat. Kobe and Bryant played together from 2004 to 2012 and won two NBA Championships together in 2009 and 2010. So safe to say, the two become unstoppable on the court.
"It's just his face. It's on my neck," Odom revealed. "When I was in the CBB house, I dreamed [of] him four or five times. They were really vivid and easy to remember because he was talking to me in the dreams. He just looked back to me and said, 'LO, the afterlife ain't what people make it up to be,' and I just kinda woke up." Odom continued to explain that the dreams "could mean a lot of things." He explained, "It could've meant that he misses his people, misses his daughters," or they "Could've meant maybe his job wasn't finished yet." The former Lakers player told Page Six one of his dreams even involved him and Kobe having a 3-point shooting contest where they spoke about the afterlife. However, he "woke up really emotional after that" leading him to cop the tattoo, honoring his late pal.
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According to Odom, their relationship was "more like him being a teacher and me being his brother," as Bryant would often come in clutch with his Mamba Mentality. Number 7 and number 24 were an undeniably strong duo on the court - but after Bryant's passing in 2020, Odom continues to share online what a big influence Bryant was in his life and everyone else's. Safe to say, Mamba's legacy will live on forever.
