Lamar Odom keeping up with the Bryants thanks to famous wife

Kobe Bryant, the poster child for celebrity endorsers who recover from scandal, still leads Los Angeles Lakers players in big-bucks marketing deals, but Lamar Odom is becoming a hot commodity, too. Could it have anything to do with his six-month marriage to reality-TV star Khloe Kardashian? The 6-foot-10 power forward knows he stands out in a crowd, even a pro-basketball one, but admits his new wife might have jump-started his career in endorsements. "We got married and 3 million people watched, you know what I'm saying?" he tells the L.A. Times. (I happened to be standing outside a restaurant where Odom arrived shortly after his nuptials with a pack of paparazzi in tow. He handled it like a veteran.) Small wonder then that Samsung, Taco Bell and Power Bar are taking advantage of all the hubbub around him. In addition to the Taco Bell spot that aired during the Super Bowl (with co-star Charles Barkley), Odom jumps so high he can dunk on the moon for the current PowerBar Energy Gel Blasts campaign and sings the praises of the new Samsung Omnia II in spots running during the NCAA men's basketball tournament. And, he tells the Times, he may be just getting started. "I'll keep doing them as long as they keep coming my way and we play well." That last part? Do your best on the floor, please, and I'll gladly watch you rack up some extra dough during the ad breaks.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley