Lamar Odom’s rehabilitation period could last at least six months, according to his friend and former college basketball coach Jim Harrick.
“Obviously there is a lot of attention about all this but the thing to remember is that there is a long road ahead to rehabilitation,” stated Harrick to USA Today Sports. “This is serious stuff. It could be six months or more for rehab and all that. We don’t know what state his kidneys and lungs are going to be in.” Harrick was Odom’s coach from 1998-1999 at the University of Rhode Island.
For the past week the former Lakers star has been at the Cedars-Sinai Medial Centes in Los Angeles, where it is said he is significantly in better shape and recuperating slowly. He was transferred from the Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center near Las Vegas after he was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel on Oct. 13.
Previously, the Nye County Sheriff in Nevada said that Odom may have taken sexual performance enhancement pills and cocaine when staying at the bordello. It was a close call for the 35-year-old, who was unresponsive and in a coma following the days after his hopsitalization.
“The big thing is that we don’t feel [like] he is going to die,” commented Harrick. “That was the hard part, not knowing about that…I love him and care about him. You can see from the reaction how people feel about him. I just want him to get right and have a long and happy life.”
Odom is better than expected, but there is still a long road to recovery.
