Lamar Odom hires former O.J. Simpson lawyer and is getting treatment

Lamar Odom, who was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving last week, is receiving treatment and has hired O.J. Simpson’s one-time attorney to represent him.

Two sources told The Times that Odom is getting treatment for his problems but is not in rehab.

Odom, the former Lakers and Clippers player, was arrested Aug. 30 after he was spotted driving his white Mercedes sport-utility vehicle erratically on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley. He has not been charged.

Robert Shapiro is a longtime family friend of Odom’s wife, Khloe Kardashian Odom, and served alongside Robert Kardashian, Khloe’s father, as part of O.J. Simpson‘s legal team when a court verdict found the football star not guilty of the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

In the wake of his arrest, his driver’s license will be suspended for a year because he refused to submit to chemical testing at a police station, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Leland Tang said Odom was unable to complete a field sobriety test Friday and once at the station he refused chemical tests to determine his level of alleged intoxication.

Drivers suspected of DUI may refuse to take tests in the field, but once they are at a police station, they are required to take a chemical test. If they refuse, they lose driving privileges for a year.

“He did the one thing you should never not do: refuse the chemical tests,” Tang said.

A driver does “not have a right” to consult a lawyer beforehand, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

“If you refuse to submit to any of the tests, your driving privilege may be suspended because of your refusal,” according to the department’s handbook.

Odom was released from custody after spending about 3½ hours in jail and posting $15,000 bond; he is expected in Van Nuys Municipal Court on Sept. 27.

CHP officials said Odom was in a white Mercedes SUV eastbound on the 101 near Sepulveda Boulevard just before 4 a.m. when he was spotted driving below freeway speeds, at about 50 mph.

A CHP report notes that Odom was driving in a “serpentine manner.” He showed signs of being under the influence of either drugs or alcohol and failed a field sobriety test, according to the CHP.

At the Van Nuys jail, Odom refused all chemical tests and was booked without incident, Tang said. An inventory of Odom’s SUV revealed no drugs, alcohol or other contraband, Tang added.

Odom was booked into custody at 5:01 a.m. and released at 8:33 a.m.

Less than a week before Odom’s arrest, the NBA veteran was involved in a three-car collision on the same freeway.

The Aug. 24 crash was not reported to authorities, but Los Angeles Times reporter Adolfo Flores said his car was rear-ended by another vehicle that had been hit by Odom’s white Mercedes.

The incident occurred near the Gower Street exit on the southbound side of the 101 Freeway, Flores said.

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