Lamar Odom on life support in Las Vegas hospital

The NBA world was shocked Tuesday Night when it heard the news former NBA star Lamar Odom was found unconscious and unresponsive at a Nevada brothel. Two women at the Love Ranch South found Odom Tuesday afternoon when they went to check on him. They hadn’t heard from Odom since the morning.

When they found Odom he was “throwing up all kinds of stuff,” as reported by ESPN. The Nye County Sheriff’s Department was called at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday and when the EMT’s stabilized him Odom was driven to the Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, NV and then to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where he remains on life support.

Odom had spent several days at the Love Ranch and appeared to be well, according to the owner, Dennis Hof (He had a reality TV show on HBO called “Cathouse” the followed life at another of Hof’s legal brothels, the Moonlight Bunny Ranch).

His estranged wife Khloe Kardashian and members of her family are in Las Vegas to be with him; members of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant and general manager Mitch Kupchak, also visited the hospital. The Lakers were in Las Vegas for an exhibition game with the Sacramento Kings.

After the game, a 107-100 win for the Kings, Lakers head coach Byron Scott told the media, “Obviously, our hearts and our thoughts and our prayers are with Lamar and his family. It’s obviously something that you don’t want to hear before the game because I think the people that knew about it, we were all thinking about it. … I obviously feel for him and hope that he’ll be OK.”

Players and coaches from around the league have been expressing their love and concern for Odom, including Golden State Warriors interim coach Luke Walton, who told the media, “Lamar is a brother to me. I love that man. My prayers are with him.”

Metta World Peace, who is with the Lakers once again, was visibly distraught upon hearing the news and couldn’t find any words to express his feelings for his former teammate.

Odom had his best years as an NBA player with the Lakers, winning two championships — 2009, 2010 — and he is most identified with that team. In 2011 he won the Sixth Man Award as a Laker.

He appeared to be devastated in 2011 when the Lakers tried to trade him, as was evident on the reality TV show he did with Khloe Kardashian. After being traded to Dallas, he never played at the same level that brought him to the pinnacle of the NBA. Odom spent just two years with the Mavericks.

He was drafted #4 by the L.A. Clippers in 1999, playing his first four years with the them. In his career he also played with the Miami Heat and was briefly signed with the New York Knicks, although he never played any games with them.

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Update: Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wherly told the media the 9-1-1 operator was told Lamar Odom had been using cocaine on Saturday, when the brothel employees called after finding him unconscious. Until now it had only been rumored.

The Sheriff’s Department obtained a blood sample and is having it analyzed at the Las Vegas Police crime lab find out what drugs, if any, were in his system.

Anonymous sources have been leaking a lot of information, claiming Odom’s organs are failing and that he suffered strokes while in the hospital and suffered brain damage. So far none of that information has been officially confirmed or denied.

Brothel owner Dennis Hof has been speaking to various news organizations, talking about Odom staying in Hof’s home, which is attached to the brothel. Hof told CNN Odom was having a good time Saturday, but was somber Sunday.

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Update: Lamar Odom has regained consciousness and is responding to Khloe Kardashian’s communication.

(L.A. Post-Examiner Staff contributed to this article.)
(Photo: screen shot from YouTube video)