LAS VEGAS—The latest on the hospitalization of Lamar Odom, who was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel (all times local):
The Rev. Jesse Jackson says Lamar Odom is on life support but that his doctors think he’s improving.
Jackson visited the former NBA star and reality TV personality at a Las Vegas hospital Wednesday morning. He says Odom was unresponsive Tuesday but “has some responsiveness now.”
Jackson added: “Apparently from what the doctor said, he was much better off today than yesterday.”
Jackson was in town for Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate. He stopped and spoke to the media as he was leaving the hospital Wednesday.
He says Khloe Kardashian and some of Odom’s childhood friends were by Odom’s side, and former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant visited him last night.
Jackson says Odom’s loved ones are “just holding hands and hoping he can bounce back.”
Odom was found unconscious Tuesday afternoon at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada, about 70 miles from Las Vegas.
9:40 a.m.
Nye County, Nevada, Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said investigators sought a warrant to obtain a blood sample to determine if Lamar Odom suffered a drug or alcohol overdose.
Wehrly said detectives worked until early Wednesday collecting evidence and interviewing employees at the brothel where the former NBA player and reality show star was found unconscious. She said she couldn’t immediately say what they believe caused Odom to become unconscious.
But she acknowledged that medics usually turn someone on their side, as Odom was, to relieve pressure on the chest and help them breathe.
The sheriff didn’t say whether Odom ever regained consciousness while he was stabilized and taken to hospitals.
Brothel owner Dennis Hof said Odom arrived alone, was “polite and reserved,” drank alcohol from the bar and took herbal sexual enhancement capsules.
Hof said Odom didn’t use drugs in the presence of anyone in the house.
7 a.m.
Reality TV personality Khloe Kardashian has been by Lamar Odom’s side at a Las Vegas hospital since Tuesday evening.
That’s according to a person close to the Kardashians who spoke anonymously because she wasn’t authorized to speak to the press. Kardashian and Odom were married in 2009, but Kardashian filed for divorce in 2013, citing irreconcilable differences.
Odom was found unconscious Tuesday afternoon at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada, about 70 miles outside of Las Vegas.
Authorities said the 35-year-old was stabilized at the scene before being taken to a hospital. He was then transferred to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas.
Owner Dennis Hof said Odom had been at his brothel since Saturday.
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LAS VEGAS—Lamar Odom, the former NBA star and reality TV personality embraced by teammates and fans alike for his humble approach to fame, was hospitalized on life support Wednesday, his estranged wife Khloe Kardashian by his side, after spending four days in a brothel. Authorities sought a warrant for blood evidence of drugs.
Hospital officials provided no immediate word on the condition of Odom, a 35-year-old former Los Angeles Laker and member-by-marriage of the Kardashian clan, who was found face down at the Love Ranch Tuesday afternoon, according to brothel owner Dennis Hof.
But the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who visited Odom at the hospital Wednesday, said doctors believe he is recovering after being totally unresponsive Tuesday.
“Apparently from what the doctor said, he was much better off today than yesterday. He at least has some responsiveness now,” Jackson said.
Kardashian and some of Odom’s childhood friends were by his side, and former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant visited him last night, Jackson said.
“He’s got tubes in him now but we felt inspired by his presence,” he said. “We’re just holding hands and hoping he can bounce back.”
Odom started “throwing up all kinds of stuff” when the 911 operator told them to turn him on his side, Hof told The Assoicated Press in a phone interview.
Nye County, Nevada, Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said investigators sought a warrant to obtain a blood sample to determine if Odom suffered a drug or alcohol overdose.
Hof said Odom arrived alone Saturday and “spent time socializing with some of my girls,” but wasn’t seen taking any illegal drugs. “He was polite and reserved, and he told multiple employees that he was there to get some privacy and spend some time relaxing,” he said in a statement.
“He largely kept to himself, and at no time did he engage in any drug use in the presence of anyone in the house. He did drink alcohol from our bar, and was taking some herbal sexual enhancement capsules. At his request, he spent Monday evening alone in his suite,” the statement said.
“It’s incredibly sad,” Hof told the AP. “He just wanted to get away, have a good time and relax.”
Odom emerged as one of the most promising basketball talents of his generation after a difficult childhood in Queens, where his mother died of cancer when he was 12 and his father was addicted to heroin. He eventually won two NBA championship rings and an Olympic medal, and became a star on reality TV. But his life never seemed free of struggle and tragedy, most tragically the death of his infant son in 2006.
He spent most of his 14-year NBA career in Los Angeles with the Lakers and Clippers, becoming a fan favorite and beloved teammate. Then he took fame even farther, carrying on a whirlwind romance with Khloe Kardashian. Their huge 2009 wedding was taped for the E! network, and their marriage chronicled on the “Khloe & Lamar” show, where Odom he appeared to be a romantic partner, very much wanting more children that never came.
