A few years ago, while Lamar Odom was being interviewed by CBS' Ken Berger, he was asked about how he was able to overcome dealing with such adversity. Here was Odom's response to Berger:
"Jesus went through a lot," he said. "This is easy for me, you know what I'm saying? Basketball?"
"He didn't have your handle," I said.
Odom appreciated the joke, and didn't miss a beat.
"No, he didn't," he said with a smile. "No, he had his hands around the world. But we all go through a lot. We're all going to go through it one day."
Right now he's going through another difficult obstacle, and while no one knows what will happen, one thing is for sure, it's tough to see this happen to someone who has a well-known reputation for being one of the NBA's nicer guys. I've read his background of how he lost his mother at 12 and his son to sudden infant death syndrome, two years to the day after losing his grandmother, who had raised him during his early years. He persevered to become one of the league's best jack-of-all-trades players who was always in demand for his skills.
This isn't about what took place in Nevada, or to bring condemnation on any of his previous decisions. It's about what he said in the interview. Like it or not, we are all going to have to go through it one day. The question is, what will you do when "it" happens? The money, the skills, the accolades, none of that will help sustain you as a Christ-centered foundation rooted in God's Word. I don't know if Odom has a personal relationship with Jesus, but my prayer is that in whatever condition he's in, he will come to know Him.
If there is one lesson to take from Lamar Odom's life, it's that being knocked down is only one part of the equation. The other part is how quickly we get back up. We are all rooting for him to get back up.
Remember the last time someone gave you a second chance to get it right? It could be a boss, giving you a chance to re-submit that project, or the wife letting you stop sleeping on the couch after one too many nights out with the boys. Either way, you were very careful about what you said and did, desperate to change the perception, and at no time would you ever mention anything about "the incident" or give others a chance to do the same. Someone should have given that memo to Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Greg Hardy, who is set to return from a year-long suspension on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Hardy, who was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 after registering 15 sacks with the Carolina Panthers, spent 2014 on the Commissioner's Exempt List after his ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence and throwing her on a couch covered in guns during an altercation. The charges were dismissed when the accuser did not show up for the hearing. Whether guilty or not, Hardy has developed a reputation for being one of the league's most volatile players, and his recent comments in regards to his return Sunday did little to change those views. According to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News in an interview, Hardy responded to how long it would take for him to get back into his Pro Bowl shape with: "I hope I come out guns blazing."
Like it or not, life is about perception, and right now Hardy's is one of no contrition, as if his 'Kraken' persona will be enough to make people forget about past transgressions. Does he deserve a second chance? Absolutely, but when we've been forgiven we must do whatever is necessary to make it right. Now, I don't expect him to be a Rhodes Scholar, but at the very least he should be mindful of why he spent the past 19 games away from the gridiron. He should have a conversation with Michael Vick about how to take advantage of another opportunity to live out his dream, before it's taken away from him again, this time permanently.
As I've learned in my Economics class, life is all about making rational choices once we realize we can't have our cake and eat it too. Should we really buy that luxury sedan when the kids need braces? What about taking that job that may give you a 25,000 dollar up-spike in salary yet move your family across the country? Is messing with that secretary during the weekend worth ruining 20 years of a great marriage? What are you willing to give up for complete piece of mind in the short term for the big picture?
Recently New York Yankees' pitcher CC Sabathia decided to make his own rational choice when he checked himself into a rehabilitation facility for alcohol on Monday, the day before his team was scheduled to take on the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card game, which they were eliminated from as of yesterday. There were numerous reports of Sabathia showing up inebriated at the Yankee clubhouse on Friday, unable to notice reporters and asking teammates to "take a sip" of a brown liquid in a paper cup during a workout. He was then ushered out of the building and into a cab by another teammate. Other reports were that he arranged for the "magnums of champagne" that were drank in the clubhouse celebration of Alex Rodriguez's 3000th hit. He went to management and asked them for help with his alcohol problem.
This goes beyond baseball, this is about life, and credit Sabathia for doing what was best for he and his family. Would his presence have made a difference in the Yankees' quest for another title? Should it matter? He could've just waited until after the playoffs, but he focused on the long term healing and didn't allow the pressure of being there in the lights of October to get in the way. Can we honestly saw we can make the same choice? Thoughts and prayers to Sabathia that he receives the healing and peace he needs in his life, and that he overcomes an opponent that can't be beaten with a 95 mph fastball: his inner demons.
The history of sports has been littered with feuds between athletes and the press. Whether it was former New York Met Bobby Bonilla threatening to fight a reporter outside a locker room, or the infamous Jim Rome-Jim Everett "fight" (to this day I still think that was staged) the relationships between the stars who play the sport vs. the ones who cover it to make a living has always had this various shades of grey that escalate to the surface whenever someone feels they have been misquoted, or in the case of ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, called a straight-up liar.
Now, I don't know Mr. Smith personally, but I listen to his show 'First Take' as well as his show on Mad Dog Radio Sirius XM on a daily basis. He has been known to express his statements with a wide range of emotions, whether it's on the performance of athletes or on social issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement. He doesn't shy away from saying what he feels is on his mind. However, I believe that what he said on today's episode of 'First Take' crossed a barrier from which it may be challenging to recover.
By now we've all heard the rhetoric of his report that sources close to Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant mention that at the end of this upcoming NBA season he was "considering" signing as a free agent in Los Angeles as his preferred destination, along with Miami and Washington DC. Durant responded by saying that none of his friends and family spoke to Smith, and closed it by saying he was a liar. Smith, who has had feuds with NBA stars before, most notably Stephon Marbury during his days with the New York Knicks, didn't take too kindly to what was said and responded thusly...
Let's look at this from three points of view: Durant, Smith, and then the proper way to respond. Kevin Durant has profoundly expressed his faith in Jesus Christ for years, and was lauded by many for how he carried himself on and off the court for athletic brilliance as well as being a stand-up guy. Granted, he may have been perturbed at what was mentioned, but to go out and brand Mr. Smith as 'he's lying' is to question the man's credibility, which is the foundation for his career as a journalist. It's one thing to question a statement, but what Durant said went further than that, and in essence went after the integrity of Smith's work. He is engaging himself in a battle with a presence that he just can't win, go back to what happened during All-Star Weekend earlier this year. His expletive-laced rant at the media regarding his former coach Scott Brooks' job status was not the proper way to handle the situation. If we claim Christ as the head of our lives, then our speech should not be coarse to the point where it makes non-believers question us. A simple prepared statement would've prevented this issue from escalating.
Now to Mr. Smith. There is a fine line between professionalism and personal accountability, and making a statement to challenge KD was unprofessional at worst. I know he has also in the past claimed a relationship with Christ as well, and even praised Durant's character on the show, yet he apparently has forgotten what the true term 'enemy' really means. It is described as someone who opposes your lifestyle, and while certain temptations (money, power, success) can be viewed as the opposition, our true enemy is Satan. Smith was wrong in taking this approach, and the Bible tells us to strive to live in brotherly love with one another. Durant isn't his enemy, just a person that sees things from a different point of view.
When two people disagree and claim Christ as the center of their lives, they should look to solve it internally, not through the blogosphere or on national television. It creates unnecessary divisions and worse, affects our witness. I pray that they will come together in private and resolve this manner quickly. Also, we must be careful who we call our enemies. We don't wrestle flesh and blood, and there's nothing more that our true enemy would love nothing more than to let a simple misunderstanding create a lifetime of schisms.
