Lamar Odom’s Revelations About Hating Boston Celtics: A Lakers’ Tale

On the same day when Lamar Odom had an unfortunate run-in with two parked cars, evading a field sobriety test, he found himself in the spotlight for a much happier reason. The former Los Angeles Lakers star became the subject of interest as a guest on Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles’ popular podcast, Knuckleheads.

During the podcast discussion, the conversation took an interesting turn towards the Boston Celtics, a team that had been a fierce rival of the Lakers during Odom’s tenure. The Lakers and the Celtics had clashed in two NBA Finals, in 2008 and 2010. Odom, who was named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2011, revealed that his aversion to Boston extended beyond the basketball court.

To provide some context, the Boston Celtics of that era were a star-studded team, boasting a formidable “Big Three” lineup consisting of future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. They also had Rajon Rondo as their point guard and Kendrick Perkins as their center. In the 2007-08 season, their first year together, they achieved an impressive 66-16 record and fought their way through a competitive Eastern Conference to reach their first NBA Finals since 1987.

On the opposite side of the bracket, the Lakers, with the season’s MVP Kobe Bryant and All-Star center Pau Gasol, presented a strong challenge with their 57-25 record. The Celtics dominated the Lakers in a series-clinching Game 6 with a decisive 131-92 victory. Post-game, Celtics fans were so enthusiastic that they even rocked the Lakers’ team bus as it attempted to leave TD Garden.

During the 2008 Finals series, Lamar Odom played a pivotal role, averaging 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 block per game while filling in for the injured Andrew Bynum.

“The first [NBA Finals] series is why I hate the Celtics,” Odom said. “‘Cause, “they beat us by like 35 [39] in Game 6. When you go to the Finals, you got your family on the bus – everybody on the bus and all that. They beat us by 35, these fans surrounded our bus and started shaking it.”

“They didn’t care [if Lakers players’ families were on the team bus],” Odom added.

However, the story took a different turn in the subsequent seasons. In the 2009 NBA Finals, the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic, and in the following season, they faced off against the Boston Celtics in a grueling, foul-ridden seven-game NBA Finals. The Lakers ultimately emerged victorious, exacting their revenge on Boston.

Lamar Odom’s revelations shed light on the intensity of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, both on and off the court, making it clear that his dislike for Boston went far beyond the game itself.

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