Folks are probably wondering who spiked Odom’s drink on Saturday when the former All-Star for the Los Angeles Lakers claimed his former team can win the NBA championship this year.
Odom won a title with the Lakers back in 2010 that was powered by the legendary Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher, so he knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
However, the current iteration of the Lakers is muddled in mediocrity with a putrid record of 24-26. They are barely contenders for a playoff spot despite the fact that LeBron James is scoring at unprecedented rates for a 37-year-old man. The Lakers have lost two in a row and seven out of their last 10 games with apparently no light visible at the end of the tunnel.
Even the man many regard as the greatest Laker ever, Ervin “Magic” Johnson, lambasted the team for its lackluster and often listless play. Yet Odom believes the Lakers still have a shot at the O’Brien Trophy.
“I think they’re good enough to win a championship,” Odom told TMZ in an interview on Saturday, Jan. 29. “They’re still my pick to win the championship. I don’t know if that’s Laker pride or me just being a Laker at heart. But they’re still my pick.
“Anytime you have LeBron James on the court and a healthy Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony as your sixth man, I think they’ll give you a really good shot.”
Odom has busied himself lately with establishing the Savvy Talent Management Group and trying to rekindle the romance with his ex-wife Khloe Kardashian. But he says the Lakers have to get better defensively if they want a shot at winning it all.
Listen to the interview in full.
