Ron Mercer

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Odom's journey to the NBA was marked by personal tragedy and academic hurdles. Born in South Jamaica, Queens, to Joe Odom and Cathy Mercer, his father was a heroin addict and his mother died of colon cancer when he was 12. On her deathbed, she reportedly told him: "Be nice to everybody." He was then raised by his maternal grandmother, Mildred Mercer. In high school, Odom received national player of the year honors from Parade in 1997. He played on the same AAU team as future NBA teammates Elton Brand and Ron Artest (later known as Metta World Peace); he also played at the Adidas ABCD Camp with future Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. Adidas executive Sonny Vaccaro commented at the time that Odom possessed a "$2 million smile".

In Their Own Story

Odom's college career was unconventional. He initially committed to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, but a Sports Illustrated story questioning the validity of his ACT score and an arrest for soliciting prostitution led the school to revoke his scholarship. An NCAA investigation later revealed Odom had received $5,600 in illicit payments from a UNLV booster, resulting in the firing of Coach Bill Bayno and UNLV being placed on probation for four years. Odom transferred to the University of Rhode Island, where he sat out the 1997–98 season as a non-matriculating student. His career was in jeopardy after he vanished before finals, but coach Jim Harrick prevailed upon three of his four instructors to let him make up his work. Odom played one season (1998–99) for Rhode Island, averaging 17.6 points per game and leading the Rams to the conference championship. He was named the most valuable player of the Atlantic 10 tournament after his three-point shot at the buzzer against Temple gave the Rams their first A-10 title.

Reader's Guide

Odom declared for the 1999 NBA draft after his freshman year. He tried to return to college, but having already signed with an agent, he was no longer eligible to withdraw. The Los Angeles Clippers selected him with the fourth overall pick. In his first season, Odom averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, putting up 30 points and 12 rebounds in his NBA debut. He was named to the 2000 NBA All-Rookie First Team. After four seasons with the Clippers, he signed with the Miami Heat as a restricted free agent. In his one season with Miami, he averaged 17.1 points and a career-high 9.7 rebounds per game. On March 6, Odom posted a triple-double, scoring 30 points with 19 rebounds and 11 assists in a home win over the Sacramento Kings. The Heat clinched the fourth seed and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. After the season, Odom was traded in a package with Caron Butler and Brian Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers for All-Star Shaquille O'Neal. Odom spent seven seasons with the Lakers, winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. He was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011. The Lakers traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, after which his career declined. He was traded back to the Clippers in 2012 and played briefly in Spain in 2014.

Did You Know?

• Odom won back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
• He was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.
• Odom was suspended twice during his four seasons with the Clippers for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.
• He won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics and a gold medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship with the United States national team.
• In October 2015, Odom was hospitalized in a comatose state after being discovered unconscious in a Nevada brothel.