Ex-Laker Lamar Odom Found Unconscious in Brothel

By Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy
CNN
Former NBA star Lamar Odom, who won two championships and later married reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, is hospitalized after he was found unconscious at a brothel in Nevada.
Odom was found unresponsive at the Love Ranch in Crystal on Tuesday, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office said.
“He doesn’t look good,” brothel owner Dennis Hof said. “He doesn’t look like he’ll make it and if he does, he won’t be the same.”
Officials haven’t said what was wrong with Odom, and it’s unclear what his condition is.
Authorities originally planned to fly him to a hospital, but said the 6-foot-10 Odom was too tall to fit in a helicopter. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Las Vegas — about 60 miles away.
Odom, 35, won two NBA championships as a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He married the younger sister of Kim Kardashian after a whirlwind romance in 2009, only to file for divorce four years later, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in July.
‘Everything was great’
Hof said Odom called him Saturday and told him he wanted to visit the brothel for a few days.
Hof let him stay at his home, which is attached to the brothel.
“He was having a good time at the ranch and everything was great,” Hof said.
Until Sunday, when Lamar seemed “a bit somber,” Hof said, because people were “calling and bothering him.”
“Late Tuesday, two women at the brothel went to check on Odom and found him unconscious,” Hof said
“To my knowledge, there were no drugs involved,” Hof said. “Lamar was eating well and was just healthy.”
Reality star
In addition to appearing on “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” Odom and Khloe Kardashian had their own reality show, “Khloe & Lamar.”
It lasted for two seasons and 20 episodes, and the couple filed for divorce in 2013. They signed divorce papers this year.
Despite going separate ways, Khloe Kardashian has said she will always love him.
“I will never, ever not love Lamar,” she told E!, which airs their reality shows. “I was so obsessed with him in a healthy way. He was my husband, and I still wish he was.”
Kardashian has expressed concerns for him, especially after his best friend died this year.
Despite her family’s objection, she regularly talked to her ex-husband by phone during episodes of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” this season.
Veteran NBA player
Odom played for four teams during his 14 seasons in the NBA and won the Sixth Man of the Year Award during the 2010-11 season.
He was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1999, and played there for four seasons before signing with the Miami Heat.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Lamar Odom and his family at this time,” Miami tweeted.
Fellow NBA player Dwyane Wade said he was up late, worried about his friend and former Miami teammate.
“I can’t help but to be up right now … ,” he tweeted early Wednesday. “On my knees praying … please God let him pull through.”
After one season in Miami, Odom was traded to the Lakers and was a key part of their championship teams in 2009 and 2010.
A year later, he played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks before returning to the Clippers for one season. He has not played in the NBA since.
But he has continued making headlines, including for a drunken driving charge two years ago.