Former NBA Star Thanks Kobe Bryant For Guidance, Influence During Prime

Lamar Odom was best known as one of Kobe Bryant's reliable teammates when both were with the Los Angeles Lakers -- something that resulted in two NBA titles (2009 and 2010). There are of course more things that both went through and the 39-year-old still remembers it well.

One of the most memorable ones was back in 2015. Bryant left a preseason game immediately to visit Odom who was fighting for his life at the time. This was the time when the fourth overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft was found unresponsive at a brothel in Nevada in October, TMZ Sports reported. It was one of the darkest times that Odom went through and the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011 miraculously survived it.

Conversely, Odom made an effort to be around during Kobe Bryant's final game against the Utah Jazz. This was despite the fact that he was not 100-percent healthy, recovering from a drug overdose, according to a report from the Silver Screen and Roll.

Odom referred to Bryant as a father figure, someone played a crucial role in his life. He revealed via his Instagram account that Kobe played a big part in his life, and this is one reason why he was included in his book titled "Darkness to Light." The deep relationship that both had comes as a surprise to most, seeing how Bryant had that reputation of being a difficult teammate to play with.

Bryant has gone off to better things and has hardly been in NBA news headlines. And while he tried to revive his NBA career on several occasions, things just did not turn out for the good for Odom. Looking ahead, he is set to play this summer as part of the Big 3 and see other familiar faces. One of this is expected to be Bryant, seeing how the Black Mamba has appeared in several appearances to support his former teammates.

There is no denying that Odom has lost a step or two if one is to consider competitive basketball. Seeing however that dark episode and his miraculous survival from a drug overdose, the man also known as the Candy Man is lucky to be alive at this stage and get the chance to play ball.