“I Lost My Child, I Lost My Mother…”: Lamar Odom Wants ‘Forrest Gump-Like’ Tragic Familial Past to be Immortalized

Lamar Odom overcame several personal tragedies to get back on the right track. He’s also had a brush with reality TV fame that has made him more approachable to fans than he ever was. While he has two championships and a celebrated career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Odom is aware others find his personal life story more relatable the way people connected to a Tom Hanks cult classic. He thinks his is a story worth telling cinematically.

Odom has grieved loved ones in the past. He turned their memories into motivation to keep going. And he knows more people can find hope in his story.

Lamar Odom sees his life in a movie

The most famous scene of Forrest Gump is when his mother says, “Life was like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get.” As the Tom Hanks character loses Mrs. Gump and Jenny, Lamar Odom’s defining life moments stem from personal loss.

“My life has been crazy from the NBA to a reality show to championships to tragedy,” he said while wearing a Forrest Gump t-shirt in his interview and contemplating how his life ran parallel to the iconic blockbuster. “I lost my child, I lost my mother at a young age, my father was a heroin addict. I can’t wait to see that movie one day.”

Similarly to how Mrs. Gump died of cancer, Odom lost his mother, Cathy Mercer, to colon cancer when he was 12. Before she passed, she told him to, “Be nice to everybody,” by the NBA legend’s account. Odom navigated childhood with an addict father in Joe Odom. He, too, delved in a similar lifestyle before getting clean.

WATCH THIS STORY | Shaquille O’Neal Threatens Stephen A. Smith After New Studio Debut: “Im a Have to Call TEX JOHNSON”

Before his romance with Khloe Kardashian, Odom was with Liza Morales. Their infant son, Jayden, passed of SIDS at six months old in 2006. Despite their separation, Odom and Khloe have remained friends along with their families. It’s through his connection to her he’s found out that his life story has appealed to the masses.

Lamar Odom wants a grand second act

Lamar Odom had appearances on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and a spinoff, Khloe And Lamar. The fame from that still carries forward to a combined 4 million strong social media following and more who want to follow the Lamar Odom story. He’s simply looking for the big plot device.

After losing his former teammate and mentor Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom has been dedicated to being better. He was raised by his maternal grandmother, who has lived in their old Brooklyn home for seven decades. She inspired him to start an affordable senior care home.

READ MORE: Does Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s Partnership Go Beyond The Realms Of Basketball?

There are more lessons his grandmother and Bryant taught him that make Odom believe he could impart to college athletes as a basketball coach. He aims to be as phenomenal as Coach Prime. That would be his movie worth making. Would you like to see Lamar Odom’s life in a movie?