by Jada GomezBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffAs the Managing Editor of Streaming at BuzzFeed, I cover all things entertainment, and especially love to nerd out on all things Disney. Note: This post contains mentions of substance abuse and relapse. Lamar Odom is lucky to be alive. Netflix After a near-death experience in 2015 due to a four-day drug bender, Lamar's wife at the time, Khloé Kardashian, stayed by his bedside during his difficult recovery, and also remained relatively quiet about his years-long substance abuse. E!/ Netflix Now, in the upcoming Netflix documentary, Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, Khloé is opening up about her ex-husband's extremely severe drug abuse, and her part in trying to shield him from public scrutiny. Netflix In the documentary's trailer, Khloé says: "I just felt such a responsibility to cover this up and protect him." E!/ Netflix Lamar appears in the Netflix documentary as well, and recalls the consequences of that four-day drug bender, where he was found unconscious in the Love Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada. "I had 12 strokes and six heart attacks. That's not no average s-t," he says. Netflix But that near-fatal encounter was definitely not the former NBA star's first drug overdose, as Khloé reveals: "He would escape rehab and go on a drug bender, and no one could find him." Netflix The former couple married in 2009 (they famously tied the knot after one month of initially meeting), and officially divorced in 2016, one year after Lamar's bender and subsequent recovery. During that time, the couple was heavily featured on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and even had their own spinoff show, Khloé and Lamar, that aired for two seasons, from 2011 to 2012. Netflix/E! Although Khloé has stayed relatively quiet about Lamar's addiction, she did speak about it on an episode of The Kardashians in 2025. In the episode, the couple had their first in-person meeting in nine years, and Khloé confronted the former Laker about breaking his sobriety in 2016. "The Kardashians"/ Hulu She recalls helping him learn how to walk, and even changing his diapers. "I was there, through it all," she told Lamar. "I remember everything. I didn't leave you for four months." "The Kardashians"/ Hulu Fast-forward to 2026, and Lamar says he's been cocaine sober for two years, but still smokes marijuana. He recently checked into rehab in January after an arrest on suspicion of DUI. Netflix Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom premieres on Netflix on March 31. Are you going to watch? View this video on YouTube youtube.com / Via Netflix If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here. Comments