*Lamar Odom’s dream of returning to pro basketball was crushed this week after he was “deactivated” from the BIG3 basketball league for the remainder of the season.
No specific reason has been given for why Odom was canned, but the league said in a statement that the changes were implemented to “maximize competition, protect the health of players, and to raise the level of professionalism” of the 3-on-3 league, via USA Today.
The streets are whispering that Lamar failed a drug test, and that’s why he was given the boot. But league co-founder Ice Cube is speaking out about why he was really let go — explaining, “We want players that are actually playing.”
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Tickets ON SALE NOW at https://t.co/6y7TmFXCXV pic.twitter.com/TfAnnFck7k— BIG3 on CBS (@thebig3) May 24, 2019
39-year-old Odom was a member of the “Enemies” — playing alongside Gilbert Arenas and Royce White — but he was axed by the league on Wednesday. The former Lakers star reportedly posted only 2 points and 4 rebounds in 3 games and sources tell TMZ he simply wasn’t ready to play.
Cube co-signed when the outlet caught up with him at LAX … “You know, as a league we want players that are actually playing,” he said. He noted that there’s no place on the BIG3 roster for players who “can’t play” or have “health issues” that prevent them from playing.
When asked if he was concerned about Odom, considering his past health issues and drug use, Cube replied, “Always, I love the guy.”
Meanwhile, Baron Davis, Jermaine O’Neal and Bonzi Wells were also “deactivated” from the league.
“As the premier professional 3-on-3 league in the world, we are always striving to improve the quality of both the live and broadcast experience for our fans as well as the level of competition,” reads the release from the league. “In addition, the smooth running of our internal organization, while in great shape for a young third-year league, needs to be improved and ongoing changes will continue to be implemented and finalized by next Monday.”
UPdate …
Lamar Odom has responded to the foregoing info.
In response to Odom saying he wasn’t contacted by Ice Cube (or his reps), here’s what TMZ Sports is also reporting:
“Our BIG3 sources tell us … execs are adamant they made multiple attempts to reach Odom before the league publicly announced Odom had been deactivated but they never got a response from Lamar.”
