Maybe Grandma Mildred is to thank for one of the most irrepressible personalities in the NBA, a 6'10" forward who, at 29, has been in the league for 10 seasons and famous for nearly half his life, and yet still wears his mitt when he goes to baseball games in the hope of catching a foul ball, collects pro wrestling figurines as a hobby and asks the staffer behind him on the team's plane for permission to recline his seat because "my legs are kind of long." More than an hour into the autograph signing in Huntington Beach, Destiny spotted a bulge in her dad's left sneaker. "What's that?" she asked. Odom reached into his size-16 hightop and pulled out the crumpled potato chip bag. "I didn't know what else to do with it," he said. Destiny smiled and shook her head.
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"I've heard fans yell to him in the middle of games, 'Nice shot!' and he'll turn around and say, 'Thanks, man,'" says John Ireland, sideline reporter for Lakers telecasts on KCAL 9. Before the Dec. 25 game against the Celtics at Staples, Odom was wishing fans in the courtside seats Merry Christmas when he stopped at Adam Sandler. "Happy Hanukkah," he said. Topics in his interviews range from his favorite TV show (MacGyver) to his favorite tourist destination ("Paris," he says. "I can smell the wine in the air") to his alter ego ("There's Lamar, who's humble, and then there's Odom") to his unconventional wardrobe, including a Sergeant Pepper--style ensemble that prompted coach Phil Jackson to ask Odom if he had come to the arena straight from band practice. Says point guard Derek Fisher, "He's our new Shaquille O'Neal."
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Lakers G.M. Mitch Kupchak says Odom is the most popular player in L.A.'s locker room, but he also might be the most popular player in the locker room next door. The Los Angeles D-Fenders are the Lakers' developmental-league affiliate; they practice in the same gym and play on the same court as the NBA players but reap few of the other benefits. "Most guys at that level don't have time for us," says guard Brandon Heath. "But L.O. is always telling us to come over to his house, offering to take us out to dinner. We could damn near go over there in our drawers, and he'd probably take us to buy clothes."
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The Lakers are paying Odom $14.6 million this year, and he gives a fair amount back. "I saw him signing autographs after a game and told him to hurry up and get on the bus or he'd be fined," says Robert Lara, the Lakers' head of security "He told me he'd take the hit. He couldn't say no to the kids." Odom has a hard time saying no to parents as well. "I know one boy who doesn't even play basketball, but Lamar pays his tuition," says Joseph Arbitello, a former teammate of Odom's at Christ the King in Queens, N.Y., and now the coach and athletic director there. "His mother was struggling, so she called Lamar and he took care of it."
