Is Lamar Odom still battling drug addiction? Sabrina Parr calls off engagement as NBA star 'desperately needs help'
Sabrina Parr, former basketball player Lamar Odom's fiancée, has called it quits on her relationship, after a year of being engaged. Parr, a personal trainer by profession, announced in an Instagram story that she has called the engagement with Odom off in a story that's still up. She wrote, "Y'all know I'm honest and transparent so I have to be the first to let you guys know that I am no longer engaged to Lamar. This has been a difficult decision for me to make but it is the best for myself and my children. Lamar has some things that he alone has to work through. I love him dearly but I am no longer able to be by his side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs. I wish him all the best and I am asking that you pray for everyone involved..."
The Instagram story was shared by Parr on her official Instagram handle @GetUpToParr.
Sabrina Parr has announced that she and Lamar Odom have split nearly one year after getting engaged. Parr says that Odom has some things he alone has to work through and that he is seeking the help he needs. (:camera:: Instagram/Lamar Odom) pic.twitter.com/ZCwCpB0k0i
— The Trending Tea (@the_trendingtea) November 5, 2020
The couple, that began dating in August 2019, got engaged in November the same year when the former Los Angeles Lakers star proposed to Parr after just four months of dating. Odom has yet to comment on the couple's break-up and, other than the Instagram story, Parr hasn't provided any further information or exact reason for the split, but, given Odom's past troubles with substance abuse, addiction could be the reason for the abrupt break-up of their engagement.
Before being engaged to Parr, Odon was involved in a high-profile marriage to Khloé Kardashian from 2009 to 2016. He even became a regular fixture on the reality television show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' making several appearances throughout his marriage. Later, Odom and Kardashian had their own reality series, 'Khloé & Lamar', which was canceled after two seasons.
Lamar Odom's Addiction Battles
In 2013, Odom, after getting arrested for driving under the influence, refused a chemical test. Before the arrest, gossip websites had reported that Odom was abusing drugs prompting tweets of concern from former teammates and coaches. On December 9, Odom pleaded no contest to the DUI charges and accepted a sentence of three years' probation and three months of alcohol abuse treatment. Then, on December 13, Kardashian filed for divorce from Odom and for the legal restoration of her last name.
In October 2015, Odom was hospitalized in a comatose state after being discovered unconscious in a legal Nevada brothel called the Love Ranch. The news made international headlines as the former NBA star, back then, was married to a Kardashian. It was reported that Odom had been using cocaine because of which he suffered kidney failure and several heart attacks and strokes. He was then placed on life support before regaining consciousness and seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Following the incident, Kardashian withdrew her divorce request saying that she hadn't reconciled but wanted to assist Odom in his recovery.
In January 2016, JaNean Mercer, Odom's aunt, told Us Weekly that the former NBA star is "on the road to recovery after finally leaving the hospital earlier in the week." She said, "Lamar continues to make remarkable strides." Kardashian said "I'm just there to support and care for him. But he is doing amazing," before filing for divorce again. The divorce was finalized in December 2016.
Speaking about his cocaine addiction and subsequent recovery publicly, Odom said, he had "cheated death" while calling himself a "walking miracle". He also admitted that his addictions caused "the end of his basketball career come along a little faster."