![]() ![]() Recognizing the young star’s talent, Miami Heat stepped in and gave him an offer the Clippers couldn’t counter. In his last season, he only played 49 games, and was restricted to playing as a free agent the next summer. Odom departed from the clippers following several violations of the NBA’s drug policy in 2003. Although the Clippers lost to the Sonics 92 to 104, Odom’s performance left a permanent impression on the crowd of 18,000 that attended his first professional game. In his debut game, Odom scored 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists. The Clippers had recently emerged from a disastrous season and sought Odom to rebuild their reputation. Odom began his professional career with the Los Angeles Clippers after his freshman year at Rhode Island in 1999. With his support, Odom gained nationwide recognition – and with that attention from professional teams. DeGregorio acted as a father figure to Odom, supporting him academically and personally. ![]() ![]() Thomas Aquinas High School located in New Britain, Connecticut to train under Rhode Island Rams coach Jerry DeGregorio. He then moved to Troy, New York to attend Redemption Christian Academy, but transferred shortly after to St. Odom played on the varsity team for Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens, until the end of his junior year. ![]() Odom’s basketball idol was Magic Johnson. As the years rolled by, basketball became an increasingly larger part of his life. His grandmother also shared his mother’s vision of keeping him off the streets, and pushed him to excel academically as well as in basketball. Odom’s grandmother, Mildred Mercer took him in after his mother’s death. On the very day of her funeral, he shot hoops long into the night, doing his best to cope with the tragedy that had befallen him. Devastated by the loss of his mother, Odom committed himself to basketball as a way to cope. When Odom was 12, his mother Cathy suddenly died of colon cancer. ![]()
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