Five days after collapsing in a Nevada brothel, Lamar Odom continues to improve and is now said to be communicating with his family and friends.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star is “doing good” and “speaking sentences” from his hospital bed, sources told the Los Angeles Times this weekend.
Odom collapsed at the Love Ranch brothel on Tuesday, Oct. 13. He was rushed to a hospital in Pahrump, Nevada, and later transferred to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
The 35-year-old NBA champion previously played for the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers. He has been visited by several former teammates including Kobe Bryant and Clippers stars Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul.
“He probably has no idea we were there, but just to be there and to see him — hopefully he knows there’s a lot of guys that love him and want to see him do better and want to see him get better,” the LA Times reported that Griffin said before the Clippers’ Saturday practice.
Odom’s marriage to Khloé Kardashian catapulted him from the sports world into the pop culture zeitgeist, with their 2009 wedding being featured on E! reality series “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
After tabloid reports surfaced last week that E! cameras “were rolling” in Odom’s hospital room, the network released a statement to TheWrap saying the stories were untrue.
“‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ is not currently shooting in Las Vegas,’” the statement said. “Lamar Odom appeared on several seasons of ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians,’ as well as two seasons of his own series ‘Khloé & Lamar.’ We are saddened to hear of his condition, and are sending out thoughts and prayers for his recovery.”
Hospital officials haven’t said what exactly caused Odom to fall ill. But during a news conference Wednesday, Nye County Sheriff Sharon A. Wehrly said two brothel employees called 911 and reported that the former Olympian had been using cocaine, and had also taken “up to 10” tablets of herbal sexual enhancement supplements.
After spending days unconscious and hooked up to a ventilator, Odom opened his eyes Friday and was able to communicate with his estranged wife, who has held vigil at his bedside. Odom’s children Destiny and Lamar Jr. by ex-girlfriend Liza Morales, have also reportedly been a constant presence.