NBPA discussing retirement adjustment program in wake of Odom scare

Lamar Odom's much-publicized brush with death has "reignited" discussions within the NBA Players Association about creating a program that would help the league's players adjust to retirement, executive director Michele Roberts told Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears.

"There are a lot of things that we need to repair with the NBPA," Roberts said. "There has been a dearth of services in terms of adhering to the guys' needs. One of the things we spend a lot of time dealing with is the complete absence of any type of transition program for the guys."

Roberts said part of that responsibility falls on the National Basketball Retired Players Association, but conceded that the players' union will need to step up and help compensate for the NBRPA's comparative lack of resources.

"The desire to be supportive of retired players is there among the current members. But what we need to figure out and create is a transition program under the auspice of the NBPA with the collaboration of the NBRPA. Lamar is a great example of why it needs to be done."

Roberts also wasn't about to let the NBA off the hook. For all the responsibility she's taken upon herself and the union, Roberts challenged the league to cooperate in putting a program in place.

"It's a question of money," she said. "It's a question of staff. It's something that the NBPA is going to have to handle and we will see if the (NBA) has any interest in ponying up some dollars to see if we can both do something mutually that's beneficial."

Roberts went so far as to invoke the impending collective bargaining talks between the league and players. With the sides all but guaranteed to opt out of the current agreement after the 2016-17 season, the union could make a retirement transition program a point of emphasis in the next round of negotiations.

"We are about to launch into substantive CBA discussions," Roberts said. "Hopefully, the good faith that we look forward to bringing into the discussions will continue. I cannot complain. I have not found (commissioner Adam Silver) on the surface to be anything but quite earnest."

Odom was found unconscious at a brothel in Nevada last week. He spent four days in a coma and on life support after reportedly binging on cocaine and herbal sexual enhancement pills over a three-day period. He has since been discharged from the hospital and has begun physical therapy.

Since his playing career ended in 2013, Odom has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and tied to reports of heavy drug use and other illicit activity.

"I think life after basketball is lonely," Roberts said. "To me the story with (Odom) is, if you don't have an adequate support system when you do make that transition, these are the kind of consequences that are possible. We look at it as an opportunity to engage in discussion with the players about life after basketball and making sure that a support system will help you avoid those kinds of mistakes."