Struggling ex-NBA player Lamar Odom's stint as a European basketball player has come to an end, after a back injury has him sidelined for the remainder of his two-month contract, the Spanish club said Sunday, Yahoo Sports reports.
Laboral Kutxa Baskonia, the team that took a chance on the two-time NBA champion, reports that Odom's personal doctors in New York have ruled him unfit to play for two months, meaning that "his present contract with the club has finished."
"The club hopes that the recovery process will go well and leaves open the possibility of resuming a future commitment to the player depending on the evolution of his injury," the statement added, Yahoo Sports notes.
The 34-year-old power forward joined the Spanish team last month on a two-month deal, with an option to extend until the end of the season.
The club, based in the northern city of Vitoria, said Odom was suffering from lumbar radiculitis, a spine injury that causes severe lower back pain.
In total, Odom played only a total of just 23 minutes in two games scoring just two points.
In an audio message posted on the club's website, Odom thanked his Spanish fans for their support.
"This is something that is beyond my control. This is beyond anyone's control," he added.
"It's up to me as a responsible athlete to, if I'm injured, to take care of it. I think everything happens for a reason. I look forward to getting back on court as soon as possible. I want to treat this injury and be aggressive and treat it and get it done," he said.
According to Yahoo Sports, Odom was released by the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of last season and had been a free agent. After failing to latch on with an NBA team, Odom bolted for Spain.
Off the court, Odom's marriage to reality-TV star wife Khloe Kardashian ended in divorce, and he was sentenced in December to three years probation and three months of treatment for alcohol abuse for driving under the influence, Yahoo Sports reports.
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