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Black Scholar and Activist Ron Walters Was a Genius, Donna Brazile Says - April 16, 2018
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PRESS ROOM: NAACP Statement on Starbucks and Growing Climate of Racism and Intolerance - April 16, 2018
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NNPA Chairman Dorothy Leavell Celebrates 50 Years as Publisher of the Crusader Newspapers - April 16, 2018
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NNPA National Black Voter Registration Drive Begins in North Carolina - April 16, 2018
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OPINION: Black People Must Vote or Reap the Consequences - April 16, 2018
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OPINION: When the World Attacks You, Find Strength in Christ’s Power - April 13, 2018
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Former Supermodel, Reality TV Star Janice Dickinson Testifies at Cosby Sexual Assault Trial - April 13, 2018
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OPINION: In the Aftermath of “Bloody Friday,” It’s Clear that Israeli Forces Don’t See Palestinians as Human - April 12, 2018
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PRESS ROOM: Lincoln Partners with Superstar NE-YO for Music Series Featuring All-New Lincoln Navigator - April 12, 2018
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Bill Cosby Accusers Attack the Comedian from the Witness Stand - April 11, 2018
At This Point, Lamar Odom Deserves More Than To Be Written Off
[Los Angeles Times]
In the wake of recent events, it would be easy to dismiss Lamar Odom.
Nice pro basketball career. Got 14 years out of it, 12 of those in Los Angeles with either the Clippers or Lakers. Made millions, screwed up in the end, so it is over. See ya.
We tend to find these stories all too familiar, and their familiarity nudges our cynicism. Tall kid plays basketball so well it gets him out of a tough neighborhood. His dad is a heroin addict, mom dies of cancer when he is 12. Basketball and the people hanging around him as he becomes a star — some with genuine concerns for him and others with genuine desire to profit from him — become his family.
As he gets taller, en route to 6 feet 10, and his basketball skills get larger too, he keeps getting into messes. Still, the incredible basketball skills warrant him second chance after second chance.
With Odom, the “second chances” count goes into double figures.