"He lost all the people that he loved" - Ex-Lakers' trainer on what led to Lamar Odom's near-death brothel experience
On October 15, 2015, the NBA community and the sports world were rocked by the news of two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom being found unconscious in a brothel in Las Vegas.
Advertisement
For many, it was a shocking and heartbreaking moment, as Odom had been known for his incredible talent on the basketball court and his marriage to celebrity Khloe Kardashian. But for those who were close to him, this incident was not entirely surprising.
Gary Vitti, the Los Angeles Lakers' former trainer, shed light on the struggles that Odom had faced in the years leading up to this event. While the latter never failed to be there for others, always helping anyone on his team in need, he also faced many demons and chose to fight them by himself.
Trade led Odom down a dark path
Odom began his career on a strong note. Selected as the fourth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, he quickly made an impact, finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He went on to have a productive five-year tenure with the Clippers, followed by a successful one-season stint with the Miami Heat.
Advertisement
However, his career took a drastic turn when he was part of the package the Heat sent to the Lakers in the massive deal involving Shaquille O'Neal. It was with the Purple and Gold that Odom hit his stride, playing a key role in their back-to-back title wins in 2009 and 2010.
The following season, Odom won the prestigious Sixth Man of the Year award. However, in December 2011, his stint with the Lakers came to an end when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, a move that ultimately marked the end of his NBA career.
"Obviously, we've known Lamar has been struggling emotionally," Vitti shared. "Ever since he was traded from the Lakers, he went downhill. You just couldn't seem to reach him."
"He wasn't returning text messages or phone calls. He just sort of dropped out. So when this happened, it was shocking when we heard this news that Lamar was practically dead. But at the same time we weren't surprised because we knew how he struggled in life. People have to understand that just because he's got fame and money, that doesn't mean anything. He lost all the people that he loved," he added.
Advertisement
Related: Pau Gasol on how difficult it was to tell Kobe Bryant he would leave the Lakers: "He was very supportive and he understood"
A life full of pain
Beyond the glitz and glamour of being a famous professional basketball player, Odom faced many demons growing up. From his mother passing away when he was only 12 to his infant son dying when he was just six months old because of sudden infant death syndrome to his divorce from Kardashian, he endured one tragedy after another.
According to Cherry Ryder, one of the women Lamar spent time with at the brothel, the latter was just in a lot of pain, and not the kind a physical therapist could heal.
Advertisement
"He was a very sweet man," she said. "We talked about all the screwed up things that had happened in his life. All of it. Just pain."
Luke Walton, Odom's former teammate on the Lakers, revealed that the writing was already on the wall. Despite his best efforts to support his comrade, Odom remained surrounded by an impenetrable wall, shutting out anyone who tried to connect or offer assistance.
"We had those talks on the phone, but you can only get so real on the phone. Our talks were always positive. He was trying to get better. He was working out. But when you're face to face with someone and I can look him in the eye, it's different," Walton revealed.
"That was the hard thing about it. Lamar was always the guy who was there for you," the son of former NBA great Luke Walton continued. "I'd be depressed about my back and maybe never being able to play again or I was frustrated about being out of the rotation, but if he saw me in a bad mood, he wouldn't even let me leave the practice site without messing with me so I'd go home in a good mood."
Advertisement
Fortunately for Lamar, he recovered from that ordeal and even shed light on his near-death experience.
Related: "They didn't play any of the championship-caliber teams" - Gary Vitti claimed Michael Jordan's era lacked real competition
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
4 minutes ago
- CBS News
Golden State Valkyries on the road for game against Seattle Storm. Here's how to watch
The Golden State Valkyries are back on the road for a game against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday. It will be the third time the Valkyries and Storm meet. Golden State is 2-0 against the Storm, and they won overwhelmingly in their last match-up, 84-57. The Storm are currently 4th in the league with a 13-9 record, and the Valkyries are 8th with a 10-11 record. Currently, the Valkyries are 3rd in the league for 3-pointers made and 2nd in rebounds per game. The Storm are second in the league for assists per game. Golden State has lost four of their last five games and are 8th in the league, but share the same record as the #9 team, the Las Vegas Aces.
Washington Post
13 minutes ago
- Washington Post
The wait is over for Texas and Arch Manning, though quarterback admits it wasn't easy being backup
ATLANTA — Arch Manning amassed the largest crowd at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, and it wasn't particularly close. Neither was the competition for most devoted fan, that title belonged to 13-year-old Connor Petroziello. The Manning superfan arrived at the College Football Hall of Fame at 6:45 a.m., sporting a white Longhorns hat, a No. 16 jersey and burnt orange Crocs. He didn't know Manning's brief walk-by wouldn't happen until 4:15 p.m., but when he found out, he didn't halt the mission. Ten hours later, his idol signed his jersey.
Forbes
19 minutes ago
- Forbes
Worst Cooks Returns—and So Does Anne Burrell's Impact
From kitchen flops to life lessons, Anne Burrell showed us in Worst Cooks In America why failure is ... More just the first ingredient in success. Food TV has long profited from humiliation. Burrell built something else—a space where failure could be funny, but getting better was the point. When Worst Cooks in America returns to Food Network on July 28, it won't feel like just another stunt season. A month will have passed since Anne Burrell—chef, host, and the show's driving force—died unexpectedly at age 55. She had filmed this upcoming season, Talented and Terrible, alongside new mentor Gabe Bertaccini before her death. It now serves, unofficially, as her farewell. The premise is familiar: a group of self-proclaimed disasters try to survive culinary boot camp. This time, they're professional performers—people who are polished on stage but lost in the kitchen. It's built for irony, but the real tension sits somewhere else. This is the last season with Burrell. And the last one that carries the very specific tone she created: not perfectionism, not cruelty, but encouragement. What the Show Represents For many adults, cooking can come with a quiet sense of disappointment, especially when it doesn't match what we imagine it should be. Not just about how much we rely on takeout or how often we burn rice, but a deeper anxiety: that somehow, everyone else learned how to feed themselves the 'right' way—and we missed the memo. Food television, even when it claims to be approachable, often reinforces that divide. Too glossy, too fast, too perfect. But Worst Cooks in America, especially under Anne Burrell's lead, offered something else. The show wasn't just funny—it was freeing. Burrell didn't treat incompetence as failure; she treated it as a starting point. In a media landscape that often drags the amateur for laughs, she reminded us that learning to cook is still allowed to be clumsy. That getting better is still allowed to take time. The show never mocked people for what they didn't know. It offered them space to try again and a coach who actually believed they could pull it off. That ethos—of meeting people where they are and helping them improve—isn't just good television. It reflects what psychologist Carol Dweck defines as a growth mindset: the belief that a person's abilities can be developed through their own effort, feedback, and persistence. As the Association for Psychological Science explains, this kind of mindset reframes failure as a necessary part of learning, not a sign of weakness. Dweck's research has shown that people with a growth mindset not only perform better under pressure but are more likely to view mistakes as part of the process—an idea reinforced by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which links these beliefs to long-term performance and resilience. Worst Cooks in America made that theory tangible. Under Anne Burrell, it modeled a kind of mistake-embracing culture that helped viewers—many of whom had written themselves off in the kitchen—see improvement as possible, and even joyful. The Advice That Lingers A month after her passing, that belief still resonates. In one widely shared Reddit thread, fans reflected on the phrases that had etched themselves into memory, not because they were trendy, but because they were true. 'Brown food tastes good.' 'Slices, sticks, dices.' 'BTB, RTS.' (Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.) Sure, these punchy catchphrases were good for a laugh. For these fans of Burrell and of the show, they are little anchors. A way for someone who'd never held a knife correctly to hear Burrell's voice in their head and adjust their grip. A way for someone overwhelmed in their own kitchen to remember: brown food is good food. You're not messing it up. You're doing it right. 'She lives on,' one commenter wrote, describing how they still say her phrases out loud while cooking. Another shared, 'I think of Anne Burrell every time I cut something with a knife.' Burrell's legacy the impact of Worst Cooks in America in isn't just about visibility or representation. It's about emotional permission. She gave people who felt behind—people who had been dismissed in other kitchens, or dismissed themselves—a reason to believe they could still learn how to cook. And, maybe, how to be seen doing it. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) When does the new season of Worst Cooks in America premiere? Worst Cooks in America: Talented and Terrible premieres Monday, July 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on HBO Max. Who are the mentors this season? This season features the final on-screen appearance of longtime host Anne Burrell, joined by new mentor Chef Gabe Bertaccini. Together, they guide a group of celebrity performers through culinary boot camp. What's different about this season? In addition to marking Anne Burrell's final season, Talented and Terrible brings a twist: all the recruits are professional entertainers—people used to commanding a stage, but completely lost in the kitchen. Challenges include recreating the mentors' 'winner winner chicken dinner,' mastering restaurant classics, and taking on the fan-favorite Remote Control Chef test.
