Lamar Odom Quits Spain's Laboral Kutxa After 2 Games Following Back Injury
Lamar Odom recently suffered a back injury, forcing him to quit Spanish basketball team Laboral Kutxa just weeks after signing a two-month contract.
The NBA veteran, 34, is reportedly suffering from Lumbar radiculitis, a painful spine injury that causes severe lower back pain, and he recently returned to the U.S. to seek treatment. Odom spent a total of 23 minutes on the court over two games during his stint with Baskonia prior to the March 15 injury, according to US magazine.
"This is something beyond my control. There's a difference between a part of your body that's hurt and a part of your body that's injured," Odom said in a taped interview with a team rep.
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"It's up to me as a responsible athlete to, if I'm injured, to take care of it. I think everything happens for a reason," he continued, adding "I'm very grateful for the understanding."
Medical tests confirmed Odom's injury and a Laboral Kutxa spokesperson explained the situation in a separate statement.
"The tests carried out in New York by Lamar Odom's trusted medical team, with the knowledge of the club, have shown that the player is suffering from lumbar radiculitis, which could keep him out of action for up to two months," the spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Us.
"The player therefore terminates his current contractual relationship with the club. The north American pivot will complete his recovery in the United States," the statement added.
The devastating injury is just the latest in a series of unfortunate circumstances Odom has found himself dealing with recently. In December, after failing to make a comeback in the NBA, the father of two's estranged wife Khloe Kardashian, 29, filed for divorce after four-years of marriage.
The pair split in August last year in the wake of cheating reports and within weeks Odom was arrested on DUI charges.
Kardashian, who reportedly refuses to reconcile with Odom, sent out a cryptic message via social media just days after his injury.
"I declare that I will live as a healer. I am sensitive to the needs of those around me. I will lift the fallen, restore the broken, and encourage the discouraged," Kardashian wrote in a post taken from Joel Osteen's book "I Declare: 31 Promises To Speak Over Your Life."
"I am full of compassion and kindness. I won't just look for a miracle; I will become someone's miracle by showing God's love and mercy everywhere I go. This is my declaration," she added.
The estranged couple recently sold their Tarzana, Calif., marital home and are living separately.
