The Celebrity Big Brother season 3 cast has officially been announced, and among the celebs entering the house is former NBA star Lamar Odom. The new season is set to premiere after a three-year hiatus for the Celebrity spinoff. The last time CBB aired was in 2019 when Tamar Braxton emerged as the victor of a hard-fought and well-received season.
Rumors about the new cast spread on social media for several weeks prior to its official release. Among the various names rumored for Celebrity Big Brother 3 were reality TV superstars like NeNe Leakes, Tiffany "New York" Pollard, and "Boston" Rob Mariano. Ultimately, though, a very different group was announced for CBB3 as it included such standouts as Saturday Night Live alum Chris Kattan, reality TV veteran Carson Kressley, and UFC fighter Miesha Tate. These celebs, among others, will compete against Lamar Odom in the Big Brother house in the much-anticipated new season.
Lamar Odom is best known for his lengthy and successful NBA career. Currently at 42 years old, Lamar played in the national basketball league for 15 years and retired in 2014 when he was 35. Over the years, Lamar played for several teams throughout his career but was most notably a longtime member of the Los Angeles Lakers. As a Laker, he was a two-time NBA champion, sharing the titles with his teammate Kobe Bryant. He also received the Sixth Man of the Year award for the 2010-2011 season - an award granted to the player who most contributed to his team's success while not being a regular member of the team's starting lineup. Lamar often posts throwbacks to his time in the NBA on his Instagram, @lamarodom, where he also posts about professional projects and reflects on his daily life.
In addition to his NBA career, Lamar is famous for his time as a member of the Kardashian family. He was married to Khloé Kardashian from 2009 to 2016 and was very close to his in-laws. Because of this connection, Celebrity Big Brother won't be Lamar's first foray into reality TV. As Khloé Kardashian's then-husband, Lamar not only appeared on Keeping Up With The Kardashians but he and Khloé also starred in a spinoff of their own, Khloé & Lamar, which ran for two seasons. After his time on KUWTK, Odom also competed in a season of Dancing With The Stars in 2019. Odom might not be an expert on the Big Brother game when he enters the house, but he should have a degree of familiarity with it. His former Lakers teammate Metta World Peace was a houseguest on the first celebrity edition of the show in 2018.
Furthermore, Lamar has a connection of sorts to one of his fellow competitors in the upcoming season through his time with the Kardashians. Model and reality star Shanna Moakler will be in the house with Lamar, and she has also her own Kardashian ties. Her ex-husband, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, is currently engaged to Khloé's sister, Kourtney. Lamar has expressed his love for the Kardashians many times since his divorce, while Moakler has not been shy about her disdain for her ex's new fiancée. Whether or not these ties lead to conflict between Lamar and Shanna remains to be seen. Alas, Lamar has overcome many personal obstacles in his life, so he may be well-suited to navigate conflict in the Big Brother house.
Celebrity Big Brother premieres Wednesday, February 2, on CBS.
Source: Lamar Odom/Instagram