Odom has landed

FANS greet Lamar Odom upon his arrival yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The former basketball star will see action for Mighty Sports in the Dubai International Basketball Championship next month. ALFONSO PADILLA

Lamar Odom finally landed in Manila — not only to power a local ballclub — but also to get his life and career back on track.

Odom, who won a pair of NBA titles with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers a decade ago, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 yesterday morning and was immediately swarmed by local fans, including several airport personnel.

Two fans in yellow Lakers jerseys couldn’t help but give him a hug before asking to have their pictures taken, showing how he is loved by fans in Manila.

“I heard the Philippines is crazy for basketball,” said Odom, who will see action for Mighty Sports in the Dubai International Basketball Championship starting 1 February.

Aside from Odom, also seeing action are former Ginebra import Justin Brownlee and former NBA player Randolph Morris, who now sees action in the Chinese Basketball Association.

But focus will be on Odom, the 39-year-old forward who barged into the NBA as a promising rookie from New York after being tapped as fourth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.

Making it to the NBA straight out of high school, Odom was a stud.

He suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat before being dealt to the Lakers, where he emerged from a high school phenom into a Hollywood celebrity.

At one point, Lakers president Mitch Kupchak branded him as the “most popular player in the locker room” for embracing the values of team play and unselfish basketball, often deferring to superstars Bryant, Gasol, Derek Fisher, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum.

With his life on` the fast lane, Odom married celebrity Khloe Kardashian in September of 2009, giving him a ticket to Hollywood stardom through her family’s highly popular reality show.

After he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence in 2013, Kardashian filed for divorce, cementing gossips that they have long been separated. The plea, however, wasn’t granted and was dismissed in 2015.

Few months later, Odom was found unconscious in a brothel in Las Vegas. After using cocaine due to medical emergency, the 6-foot-10 forward was comatose before regaining consciousness.

In the aftermath of his near-death incident, Kardashian withdrew her application for divorce and wished him well.

Now, two-years after “cheating death,” Odom is trying to get his life back on track.

And there’s no better place to do it than in Manila.

“I love the Philippines and I love the Filipino people,” said Odom, who learned about the country as a basketball haven through Artest.

“I will play for Mighty Sports and I hope to represent the country well in Dubai.”