Professional American basketball player Lamar Odom has been all over the news lately, after being found unconscious in a Nevada brothel. The 35 year old championship player suffered from multiple strokes during the time he was down in his room, and reportedly had significant amounts of cocaine, opiates and “herbal Viagra”, known to be legal but very dangerous, in his system. Currently, Lamar is on life support and in a coma. It is also reported that his doctors believe he likely suffers brain damage due to the strokes and combined drug use, as he briefly awoke at the hospital but showed little signs of brain activity.
Besides starring on “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and “Khloe and Lamar” during his marriage to Khloe Kardashian, Lamar was known since a young age as a talented athlete and a generous, kind person who was said to have been paying 20-30 people’s rent at one point. Lamar has suffered a great deal throughout his life, which is part of the reason why he has found himself in dark traps. His mother passed away from cancer when he was 12, and he grew up in Queens, New York with a heroin addict father. Later on, his aunt died within the same time that his 6 month old son Jayden passed away in his crib from SIDS, a tragedy in itself. Also, this past June two of Lamar’s best friends passed, adding to his tragic history and downfall with drugs and alcohol. One of these friends being Jamie, best friend to Lamar since childhood, best man at his and Khloe’s wedding and frequent star on “Khloe and Lamar”.
While you can’t blame the series of tragic events in his life for his drug use, it certainly makes sense why Lamar has been struggling his entire life and has spiraled out of control. His childhood coach and close friend Gary Charles stated, “Lamar has a million dollar smile and would give you his shirt off his back. But, he never learned how to say the word ‘no.’… It’s tough because this kid is like a son to me all of those years, and honestly, I’ve always been worried I would get a phone call like this. I can’t say I’m surprised. I have worried about this day for as long as I’ve known him. Everyone close to him has worried, and we are all praying he makes it.”
Many friends and family members have come forward on social media talking about how great of a person Lamar is, and how saddened they are by his situation. Kobe Bryant even left a game early to be by Lamar’s bedside. Khloe Kardashian and Lamar’s divorce has not yet been finalized, so at this time she is left to make the decisions in the Las Vegas hospital about what steps to take.
Right now, we should not focus on the Kardashian/Jenner clan, or on the fact that yes, Lamar had been abusing drugs, but rather on hoping for a recovery for this amazing athlete with a great heart during this horrible time.