[Lamar] Odom had hired a well-known Hawaiian chef, Sam Choy, to prepare meals for the entire team. "Instead of going back to our rooms after practice, we stayed together, put our feet up, hung out and talked," says [Luke] Walton. "All of us, every meal, Kobe included. It was a major, major factor in us coming together." Plus, the food was damn good. "Sam made a chicken crusted with, I kid you not, Cap'n Crunch," says Odom. "Best thing you ever ate in your life."
Credit Odom with a terrific, albeit simple, idea. Food brings people together -- whether neighborhood block parties, Thanksgiving dinners, or... NBA training camps.