Former NBA champion Lamar Odom wants LeBron James to show the same tenacity and will like Kobe Bryant in order to turn the page for a struggling Lakers.
Advertisement
Once a favorite to win the championship, the LA Lakers may find themselves in the play-in tournament this season. In his 19th year in the league, LeBron James continues to be the driving force of a team starring Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony.
The Lakers are currently below +500, with rumors of a Westbrook trade and removal of Frank Vogel as the head coach doing the rounds. Though injuries and COVID-19 protocols have been a deterrent, the Lakers experiment of Brodie and assembling a group of All-Star veterans hasn’t worked so far.
During a recent interview with Tmz Sports, former Lakers champion Lamar Odom gave his views on the current scenario of the purple and gold team. Odom, who won back-to-back championships with the Lakers playing alongside the late Kobe Bryant, is confident the Lakers will get better.
Odom believes LeBron can instill the same confidence in his teammates like Kobe did during rough times. The veteran has faith in the Lakers winning the chip this season.
Lamar Odom addresses the LA Lakers’ struggles this season.
Recently, Odom voiced his concerns about the Lakers, the former 6th MOY spoke about the Dwight Howard-Anthony Davis altercation and the team’s lackluster defense. James and co, who were no.1 in defensive rating last season, currently rank 18th in the league.
Odom was against Westbrook and Vogel being made the scapegoat for the team’s poor performance. However, the forty-two-year-old has faith in the abilities of LBJ to pull the Lakers through this slump. Odom, who played seven seasons for the Lakers, coming off the bench, advises James to exhibit the mamba mentality.
“Of the teams that I played for that won championships, we had a tremendous leader in Bean Bryant,” Odom said. “A lot of his will, tenacity, it kind of rubbed off on us. I would like to see LeBron James’ will and tenacity and his will to win rub off on these Laker guys.”
Odom speaks from experience, having played the best basketball of his career with Kobe. In his stint with the Lakers, Odom averaged 13.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, shooting 49.1% from the field. The veteran won back-to-back championships in 2009-10.
It will be interesting to see if James takes a leaf out of the mamba mentality. The four-time champion shared a great relationship with Kobe.
