Is Lamar Odom's European basketball career over already? Less than a month after joining Spanish basketball team Baskonia (a.k.a. Laboral Kutxa), the athlete has returned to the U.S. with an injury — and a source tells Us Weekly he may not go back.
Odom, 34, flew out of Spain on Monday, March 10. A rep for the team tells Us that he had their consent to seek additional treatment, saying, "He will visit his doctors in New York who have treated him throughout his career in the States, to check with the medical tests and receive a second opinion about his back injury." A timeline for his return has not been specified, but manager Sergio Scariolo says, "If Lamar told me he would return, I'm not going to have the feeling he won't."
A source tells Us, however, that Odom's plans "will depend on his physical condition," and that club members are keeping their fingers crossed. "He packed everything, so it's not looking good," the insider tells Us of Khloe Kardashian's estranged husband. Adds another source: "He's played very few games and didn't make much impact in those he did play."
Indeed, Odom has had just 22 minutes of playing time in two games since making his debut against Unicaja Malaga on Feb. 27. Prior to that, he had been on an extended break.
"I feel good and every day I'm getting closer to closer to being on the court, but it's a work in progress," he said during a press conference at the Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria, Spain, on Feb. 21. "I've been away from the game for a little bit, but it's going to take some time and I have to be patient. When me and Coach Sergio and the organization get together and think it's the right time [to be on the court], that will be the right time."
A rep for Odom had no comment on rumors that he would not return to Spain. However, a source close to the athlete says "he's not going back."
"He wants to stay in L.A. and make sure [his back] gets better, because you don't mess around with your back," the insider tells Us. "He is going to get ready for the next playoffs now. Staying in Spain a bit longer would have made his back worse, so he was advised to come home. He wants to get healthy and really take care of his back with a doctor he trusts."
The source notes, too, that both Kardashian and her mom, Kris Jenner, have reached out to make sure he's okay. "They are talking," the source says. "It is amicable. Khloe and Kris both said they are here for him if he needs anything."
