National Basketball Association

Odom hit with DUI charge

Published Sep. 13, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Lamar Odom saga continues, and it doesn't seem to be getting better for the troubled NBA veteran.

Odom has been charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence after his Mercedes-Benz was pulled over on a Southern California freeway last month.

The Los Angeles city attorney's office said Friday that the charges stem from Odom's Aug. 30 arrest in the San Fernando Valley. Odom could face six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Odom will be arraigned Sept. 27. He reportedly hired attorney Robert Shapiro, who is best known for his work on O.J. Simpson’s defense team, to represent him in proceedings.

The DUI charge is the latest episode in the complicated Odom story.

On Sept. 4, we heard the veteran forward and reality TV star had checked into a drug-and-alcohol rehabilitation center, according to People magazine. The news came after several weeks of reports that Odom has been battling drug addiction and resisting help, despite the fact his marriage to Khloe Kardashian is apparently on the rocks.

One day later, TMZ declared Odom's definitely not in rehab, instead still off the radar and not communicating with Khloe or the Kardashian family. And Sept. 6 brought another update from People. The magazine cited sources in saying Odom had left the rehab center and was spotted in Los Angeles.

Getting back into the NBA at this point could be a tough trick to pull. Odom is an unrestricted free agent coming off the worst two seasons of his career. Last season, he averaged a career-low 4.0 points along with 5.9 rebounds for the Clippers.

Odom's career — and perhaps his personal life — took a turn for the worse when he was traded to Dallas late in 2011. Despite returning to LA to play for the Clippers last season, he failed to regain his form.

Then came a troubling summer, marked by rumors and incidents like this confrontation with paparrazi:

Odom has lived a life of dizzying highs and terrible lows. He peaked during his years with the Lakers, winning two championships in 2009 and '10, being named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2011 and becoming a reality TV star by marrying Kardashian in 2009.

However, his painful past was captured in a 2009 Sports Illustrated profile by Lee Jenkins:

"The happiest Laker is one whose father was addicted to heroin; whose mother died of colon cancer when he was 12; who attended three high schools; had his first college scholarship revoked before the fall of his freshman year; became a subject of three college investigations; declared for the NBA draft; tried unsuccessfully to pull out of the draft; was picked by arguably the worst franchise in sports; violated the league's antidrug policy twice within eight months; and, after finally getting his life together, went home to New York City for an aunt's funeral and wound up burying his 6 1/2-month-old son, Jayden, then getting robbed at gunpoint."

Several former Lakers teammates shared their concerns for Odom.

"It's unfortunate," Lakers guard Jordan Farmar told ESPNLA's Dave McMenamin this week. "A couple of us have reached out to him and haven't heard back."

"I'm here for him," Farmar added. "We're all here for him, really. We know what kind of guy he really is. Everybody goes through tough times in life, and if he needs anybody, he can always reach out to us."