A youth basketball coach in New York City received a phone call in July. One of his former players was looking for him.
The player was Lamar Odom, the former high school basketball star who went on to win two N.B.A. titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. His professional basketball career was finished, and his private struggles were playing out for public consumption on reality television. Odom hoped to patch things up with his former coach. He also wanted help.
“Then why did you move to Las Vegas?” the coach, Gary Charles, recalled asking him.