Lamar Odom in the house.
The former National Basketball Association (NBA) player arrived in Manila earlier today ahead of the 30th Dubai International Basketball Championship where he will play for Philippine team Mighty Sports.
“Just landed in the Philippines ready to hoop! #LO7” the basketball player wrote in a Facebook post.
The hashtag #LO7 means “Lamar Odom” and the seven is his jersey number for the teams he’s played for. He would also be wearing a number 7 jersey for the tournament which will happen from Feb. 1 – 9.
The photo shows the 6-foot-10 basketball player posing with his Manila agent Sheryl Reyes.
Odom is in the country to attend the first official basketball practice with his teammates, the Philippine Star reported.
Excited Filipino fans mobbed Odom at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon his arrival, a Rappler report states.
Odom also said in a video he posted yesterday that he couldn’t wait to meet his Filipino fans. The clip was taken at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
Filipino fans felt the same way. Twitter user @makoyreventar wrote: “Welcome to Manila [i]dol.”
Welcome to Manila Idol
— makoyreventar (@makoyreventar) January 23, 2019
“Welcome to Manila Lamar! Enjoy your stay,” said @Aaron24Olivar.
Welcome to Manila Lamar! Enjoy your stay.
— Aaron Olivar (@Aaron24Olivar) January 23, 2019
Dex Ter commented on his Facebook post: “Welcome Champ.”
Ryan Dejoras also commented on his Facebook post: “All the best man, look after yourself, and stay away with (sic) drugs.”
Odom’s life and career suffered multiple setbacks, including the time when he was hospitalized after being found unconscious inside a brothel in Nevada, United States in 2015. Doctors said that Odom had overdosed on drugs.
Odom previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, among other NBA teams. He’s also the ex-husband of reality TV star Khloé Kardashian and starred alongside her in the show Khloé and Lamar.
Odom first made the surprise announcement of playing for the Philippines’ Mighty Sports team in December.
READ: Former NBA cager Lamar Odom to play for PH team in Dubai tournament
He posted the announcement on his Instagram account, which had a photo of him wearing a Mighty Sports jersey that comes with a Philippine flag.
Arab and international teams play in the tournament that is organized by the United Arab Emirates Basketball Association.
OG fans would know that Odom was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011 and is a two-time NBA Champion. A lot of basketball-crazy Filipinos will surely be cheering for him at the tournament as Dubai has one of the highest numbers of overseas Filipino workers in the world.
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