Former NBA player Lamar Odom has had a tumultuous life. From drug addiction, divorce from socialite and reality star Khloe Kardashian, and his breakup with ex-fiancée Sabrina Parr, Odom has made headlines for almost everything but has managed to bounce back each time.
In a new documentary “Lamar Odom: Reborn,” the 41-year-old faces his past by tackling his battles with addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, Odom is addressing the fact that he never “sat down and cried” about the death of his 6-month-old son Jaden nearly 15 years ago while he was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers at the time.
His baby boy died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. SIDS is an unexplainable death that usually happens during sleep of a supposedly healthy baby less than one, Mayo Clinic reported.
“That was extremely hard because, you know, I was playing,” he said in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “He was extra energetic. Whenever I would walk into the room, he would just stare at me. He was beautiful. He was like the combination of his sister and his brother. I just wish I would’ve had him in my life a little longer,” said Odom.
Odom shares a daughter, Destiny, 22, and Lamar Jr., 19, with his ex, Liza Morales.
“You know what’s crazy? I don’t even think I still have even sat down and cried about it,” he added.
Odom previously told PEOPLE that his documentary is giving him having the courage to tell his own story.
“I’m actually happy to share [the things I’ve been through] with people to inspire them,” Odom said. “I get the same kind of feeling when people come up to me and say, ‘Lamar, you are an incredible basketball player.’ It’s the same feeling when people come up to me about adversities I’ve gone through, such as drugs. I’ve overcome many battles, and they can relate to it, and it inspires them,” he continued.
“I feel good about sharing my life and moments I might not have been so proud of at the time. It’s nice to look back at different times in your life and see it sort of in third person,” Odom concluded.
The documentary premiered on Thursday, May 20. You can watch “Lamar Odom: Reborn” on YouTube below.
