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 With family and friends at his bedside and fans praying for
his recovery, the estranged husband of Khloe Kardashian was
reported to be comatose and in critical condition after he was
found unresponsive at the Love Ranch brothel on Tuesday.
Celebrity news outlets TMZ.com and "Entertainment Tonight"
reported on Thursday that Odom's kidneys were failing and he has
been placed on dialysis. Other outlets have said he had suffered
several strokes, was breathing with the assistance of a
ventilator and had only a 50-50 chance of recovery.
Brothel staff told authorities Odom had used cocaine and as many
as 10 tablets of a sexual performance-enhancing supplement
during his four-day stay there, the Nye County Sheriff said.
The 6-foot, 10-inch-tall (2 metre) forward has long been rumored
to have struggled with substance abuse, and he was suspended
during the 2000-2001 season for violating the National
Basketball Association's anti-drug policy.
"Entertainment Tonight" said Odom had briefly fluttered open his
eyes on Wednesday night and may have squeezed the hand of Khloe
Kardashian's sister, Kim Kardashian, who was among those at the
hospital.
The Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas, where Odom,
35, was being treated, has declined to comment on his condition,
citing patient confidentiality.
Odom's estranged father, Joe Odom, the athlete's two children
from a previous relationship, and his ex-girlfriend were also
photographed entering the hospital.
Odom split with Kardashian, 31, in 2013 after a whirlwind
romance and marriage that was captured on the television show
"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and its spinoff series "Khloe
& Lamar."
Although the couple signed divorce papers in July, a Los Angeles
Superior Court spokeswoman said the divorce has yet to be
finalized and they remain legally married.
People magazine, citing a source close to the family, said on
Thursday that Khloe Kardashian was given the task of making
medical decisions about Odom's treatment but was "overwhelmed"
by the unexpected responsibility.
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"She had been thinking of him as an ex, so to find out that, 'No,
you have to do this,' well that's really hard for her," the magazine
quoted the source as saying.
Despite Odom's 14 seasons with the NBA, including two championships
with the Los Angeles Lakers, U.S. media have largely focused this
week on his brief membership in the most famous family on reality
television.
ESPN sportscaster Scott Van Pelt took issue with the
celebrity-skewed coverage, noting Odom's accomplishments as a
multiple NBA champion and beloved teammate.
"I understand not everyone watches sports, but 'Kardashian reality
star?' His name is Lamar Odom, and we knew it, long before he got
married on a TV show we don't watch," Van Pelt said on his "SportsCenter"
show on Wednesday.
Kardashian's mother, Kris Jenner, posted a photo of Odom in his
Lakers uniform on her Instagram account, asking fans to "please pray
for Lamar #ourfighter."
Currently a free agent, Odom last played for the Los Angeles
Clippers during the 2012-2013 season and is no longer attached to
any NBA team.
(Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles;
Additional reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles and Jill
Serjeant in New York; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Andrew Hay, Grant
McCool)
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