Not much new in Lamar Odom's life, other than a reality-TV star wife, a $33-million contract extension and daily games of hide-and-seek with the ever-present paparazzi.
A year ago, Odom was angry when Coach Phil Jackson said the Lakers forward would be a backup instead of a starter. That's the least of his concerns now.
He still has reserve status, but no longer single status after marrying Khloe Kardashian about two weeks ago, a move that shifted him from the inside pages of sports magazines to the covers of supermarket tabloids across the country.
It also made nights on the town a little less, uh, private.
Even if it's just Odom and his wife, it can feel like a table for eight with the phalanx of photographers zooming in on them in restaurants, clubs and the like. Because of Kardashian's popularity among gossip groupies, Odom is tracked pretty much everywhere he goes.
"It's part of what they do. It's part of the world," he said of the paparazzi. "Once I'm in the house and a comfortable place, they can't come on private property. If we're in a restaurant and they want to sit there and take pictures, it doesn't matter."
Doesn't matter?
"Playing basketball at a high level and of course playing basketball in L.A., and being from New York and understanding lifestyles has probably prepared me for it and has helped me stay patient in those situations," Odom said. "This is a high-profile city we live in and we won a championship, and those things have helped me prepare for what's to come in my relationship with my wife."
Odom is living in the penthouse of a luxury hotel, in the process of leaving behind his easily accessible Manhattan Beach home for a more private residence on L.A.'s Westside.
It's a new life with a new home and new TV channels on which to be featured, but Lakers fans need not worry about the added commotion, according to Jackson, who said he noticed "absolutely nothing" different about Odom the first two weeks of the exhibition season.
"He's been upbeat and very productive in practices," Jackson said.
Odom will be 30 next month, though he might feel as if he's turning 50 after a July that seemed to drag on forever.
Odom and the Lakers were involved in laborious contract talks that lasted almost the entire month, a slow-speed chase that finally ended with the unrestricted free agent re-signing for four more years.
