Athletes have used some elaborate methods to pass drug tests. Lamar Odom’s might be the most unique.
In his newly released memoir Darkness to Light, Odom admits to using a ‘fake penis’ to pass a drug test in order to join the USA basketball team for the 2004 Olympic Games.
“The joy of being named to the 12-man roster quickly turned to anxiety when Olympic officials informed me that I would have to pass a drug test before officially joining the team,” Odom said via an exclusive excerpt from People. “I got a call from USA Basketball that a drug tester would be coming to my house in a few days to administer the screening … There was absolutely no way I was going to pass. I’d been smoking [marijuana] every day that summer. Panic set in.
“We started googling ‘fake penises’ and studied different ways to beat a drug test.”
After ordering a prosthetic penis to circumvent the test, Odom said he was “paranoid it wouldn’t work” but he still went through with the plan. He got his trainer, who was drug free, to urinate into the reservoir inside the fake penis. Then the former NBA champion unzipped his pants, pulled out the fake penis and emptied the urine into the testing container.
Odom successfully passed his screening and represented his country at the Olympics. However, the U.S. came up short in their quest for gold. They lost to Argentina in the semifinals before defeating Lithuania in the bronze medal game.
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