Former NBA forward and champion Lamar Odom has been in the news recently, and for all the wrong reasons. Odom has been fighting for his life in hospitals since reportedly overdosing on a sexual performance drug combined with cocaine use, and while his condition is improving, he is still facing tons of problems.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Odom is likely to need a kidney transplant. Odom has been in hospitals for the past week, getting care around the clock. The former basketball star is undergoing dialysis treatments on a daily basis, ranging anywhere fro six to 11 hours depending on the day.
Alvina Alston, the publicist of Odom’s aunt, released the following statement, per the article:
"“Lamar’s courageous improvement continues on the incline in Los Angeles. He is beginning to gradually flourish both mentally and physically,” the statement said. “His use of speech has increased and he’s more cognitively responsive.”"
If Odom is dealing with kidney issues toward the end stage, dialysis is not going to solve the problem. He will eventually need a working kidney via transplant, which could provide him with a much better quality of life. At this point, Odom is slowly regaining both his speech and vision, but is still having trouble when it comes to walking.
Odom played from 1999-2013 with four different teams, including two tours of duty with the Los Angeles Clippers. Odom was the fourth-overall pick of the Clippers in the 1999 NBA Draft, but did not blossom completely until his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers for seven seasons.