If the Celebrity Big Brother house was a deck of cards, Lamar Odom would absolutely be wild. The NBA champion found himself on a very different home court inside the game, trying to learn how to play on the fly. But his earnestness and upfront attitude toward the other players made him a favorite among the fans. Unfortunately, despite not winning any competitions this season, his athletic reputation preceded him, giving him the boot over Cynthia Bailey. While Big Brother is often described as a roller coaster, Lamar had been on that ride for quite some time. He entered the house having battled personal demons with addiction and a headline-making divorce. Lamar would be the first to admit he didn’t quite know what he was getting himself into with the show, and he struggled to grasp concepts such as jury voting and even the host’s name. But his social skills and openness with his struggles ingratiated himself with the other houseguests. And it certainly helped that he got brought in early on working with the power couple of Miesha Tate and Todrick Hall, while also forming his own close relationship with Todd Bridges. While Lamar made a career as part of a hardworking team, he was playing an individual game. And it caused him to be candid in a game of double talk. He openly told Miesha that he nearly voted for her when she was nominated, and became part of a coalition of himself, Todd, and Cynthia to demolish the duo. Unfortunately, and ironically, competitions proved to be the Achilles heel for him. He put the “L” in Lamar this season, losing chances of power when he needed it most. Todrick won Head of Household and lavishly nominated him and Todd, intending to target the latter as the bigger threat. But when Todd slid into a veto win, he became a “Lammy” led to the slaughter. Lamar walked out with his head held very high, grateful for a life-changing experience and a new friend for life. Now out of the house, Lamar talks with Parade.com about how he adjusted to the game on the fly, his surprising bond with Todd, and an Instagram post made from his account against Todrick minutes after his eviction. You were humble last night about what a life-changing experience Celebrity Big Brother was for you. Now that you have some time out of the house, how do you look back on it? I’m enjoying the experience. It was amazing just to be on that platform. Going in, I don’t think we really even realized how big of a platform it is. Being on CBS nightly is really huge for all the houseguests. I want to thank them for giving me the chance to join the Big Brother house. A lot of things will come my way and probably make life easier for me. Your life has been built on representing and playing with a team. How difficult was it to adjust to playing as an individual on Big Brother? I’m from the street, so I can really adapt to any environment. And I’ve always been a good teammate. If I remember my days with the Lakers correctly, whenever it was time to bring it in, I was always the guy right in the middle, bringing the team together and amping them up. Even though we had a really good other player on my team, that was always my role. So I’ve always played the team game, and I think that was my strength. Let’s talk about your relationship with Todd. You clearly valued your friendship there, and he’s also become your “sober coach.” How did that bond develop? Besides Cynthia, he was the first person I really reacted to seeing in the house. I’m like, “Damn! They got Todd Bridges in this house? (Laughs.) They got Willis in this house?” Even though he hates being called Willis. But Todd was my anchor in that house. Somebody who snapped me back into reality. I know he came into my life for a reason because he’s going to become my sober coach. He’s been sober for 33 years, so we share a lot in life when it comes to that world. He’s someone I hope I continue to learn from. If there are times when I’m down, and I can’t figure things out, I can call him and have him on my side. If I’m getting the itch to do the wrong thing, he’s someone I can call and get information from. So you were all smiles and gratitude on the way out last night. But I did see a post from your Instagram account shortly after your eviction that said, “So I was booted off of @bigbrothercbs by my fake friend Todrick. He should have been a bit more strategic as he must have forgotten I get a jury vote for the winner!” Did you make that post? I have to get on my managers for that. I don’t even control my Instagram, for more than one reason. Instagram for a young man can be dangerous. It’s eye candy that can help you want to judge people and lust after people you don’t even know. So, all my friends have to excuse me for that. Do you agree with the intent behind the post? I know you had gotten annoyed with Todrick at points. And I’m not sure if you know this, but he accused you and Todd of being homophobic against him. There’s some truth to that post. I hear Todrick’s taking a little hit from social media and some fans of the show out there. It’s hard because I know that was not his intention. I can see why some fans thought he might have come off as a little vain or self-centered. And I wish he would have just chosen a better way to play and live in that house. I don’t think he really meant it. For him to be a YouTube star, I think he understands the importance of having people on your side. You talked last night about basing your game on transparency. Ultimately, do you think that helped or hurt your game more? Ultimately, it depends on what you want to win. It’s about more than just the money for me. In my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to make a lot of money. So I don’t really do things for the money. I do things to make me happy at the end of the day. And of course, I always want people to like me, even from a young age. Sometimes I used to come home from school and tell my grandmother that I don’t think my classmates like me. And she’s always saying, “You can’t make everyone happy. Look at Jesus. And he was the best man ever.” Hopefully, Todrick and all of us will learn a little bit about ourselves, because the house will definitely stretch you mentally. To finish things off, let’s get your rapid-fire thoughts on the remaining houseguests. Starting with Cynthia. Mother God.Miesha. Tough.Todd. Funny. (Laughs.)And finally, Todrick. (Pause.) I don’t want to hurt his feelings. But I think, in all the ways that he shows on the show, he’s insecure. I think it’s a lot of things that he’s insecure about. (Pause.) So I would say…immature. Next, check out interview with Carson Kressley, who evicted from Celebrity Big Brother 3 on Day 24.
