Lamar Odom's alleged drug problem was reportedly the reason the Dallas Mavericks cut him from the NBA basketball team mid-season early last year.
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The Khloe & Lamar star and NBA basketball player was allegedly smoking cocaine and Oxycontin during at least a portion of his time playing for the team and the Mavericks let him go because his addiction worsened, TMZ reported.
Odom was reportedly paid in full when he got kicked off the team to make for a smooth transaction.
Odom's former Mavericks teammates knew Khloe Kardashian's husband had issues while he was a member of the team, but they were clueless he was abusing drugs, according to the website.
Odom had been traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Mavericks in Fall 2011 and stayed with the team for about four months until he and the Mavericks "mutually agreed" to part ways in April of last year. The Mavericks listed him as inactive mid-season rather than formally releasing him from the team.
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"The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it's in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team," Odom said in a statement released to ESPN.com at the time.
"I'm sorry that things didn't work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs' organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship."
Kardashian had jumped to Odom's defense following the news, tweeting he deserved "so much better" among other supportive statements.
Odom then landed with the Los Angeles Clippers -- the team with which he began his NBA career in 1999 -- for the most recent 2012-2013 NBA season.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski