LOS ANGELES (NBA) - Team USA co-captain Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday received the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award.

Odom, one of the Americans' standout performers at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, came off the bench in 47 of the 82 games he played for the Lakers and averaged 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds.

A player has to be a reserve in more games than he starts to qualify for the award.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that last summer's experience with the USA national team was very important to Odom.

"To be named to the USA team was really big for him, and to start on that team was important," Jackson said.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak paid tribute to Odom in a statement.

"Lamar could realistically start for any team in this league but his team-first attitude has allowed us to utilize him in a sixth man role," Kupchak said.

"He could have won this award in any of the last several seasons and I'm happy that his unselfishness and talent have finally been recognized."

Odom, with some of his Lakers teammates looking on, had to hold back the tears at the presentation when he referred to two people who were not in attendance to see him honored.

"There's a couple that I wish that was here to see it," he said.

In 2003, Odom's grandmother, Mildred Mercer, passed away.

Mercer had raised Odom, whose mother died of colon cancer when he was 12.

Odom also lost his six-month old son Jayden five years ago to sudden infant death syndrome while three years before.

The 31-year-old veteran and the Lakers are facing the New Orleans Hornets in the Western Conference playoffs.

LA trail 1-0 in that first-round series.

Check out what Odom told FIBA.com after winning gold with the USA in Turkey last summer

Find out what makes Odom so special to the Lakers

FIBA