Drug testers for the NBA took at least six samples from Lamar Odom over the last season — many of which showed the 33-year-old had been using the powerful painkiller OxyContin – but he wasn’t tossed out of the league because he had a valid prescription according to close sources.
The husband of reality star Khloe Kardashian allegedly has become addicted to the synthetic form of morphine — a drug that is considered twice as strong as the narcotic.
His preferred use of the drug, also known as hillbilly heroin, is to smoke it, according to one source.
“Lamar never registered a dirty test over the last two years,” a source close to the NBA told Radar.
The insider added, “Lamar was able to smoke OxyContin and it was detected during several drug tests. But because he had a valid prescription, it wasn’t a violation. It allowed him to skate through the system. He knew he could smoke it and get away with it.”
Kardashian family members fear Odom, 33, has become hooked on both OxyContin and Ambien, a sedative that is used for the short-term treatment of insomnia.
Some reports have suggested that Odom was using crack cocaine.
However, the high-level NBA source who spoke to RadarOnline.com stated: “If Lamar had been using crack cocaine, or any other illegal drug, it would have been detected during the league’s drug testing routine.”
The NBA subjects all players to four random tests each season (from October 1 to June 30) and two random tests each off-season (from July 1 to September 30). All such tests take place without prior notice to the player.
And any failed test for what the league considers “drugs of abuse” — cocaine, speed, heroin, LSD and the like — results in instant disqualification from the league.
“If Lamar tested positive for a drug of abuse, he would have immediately been sanctioned and suspended,” the source said.
On Monday, Odom rejected intervention attempts by teammates from the Los Angeles Clippers and his former team the Los Angeles Lakers at a Los Angeles hotel.
The dramatic talks lasted three hours during which Odom appeared to be under the influence of a substance, a source inside the room said.
“There was a bit of time it appeared that Lamar was going to admit publicly his addiction and go to rehab, again,” “But then, he abruptly bolted from the hotel and left the premises.”
