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His name is Lamar Odom, and he is not just a reality TV star

THIS sports anchor is fuming at reports labelling Lamar Odom a ‘reality TV star’ and has a few choice words for the whole Kardashian clan.

Dan Elsom
2 min read
October 17, 2015 - 6:30AM
FILE - In this July 31, 2009, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom speaks to the media during a news conference after the Lakers signed Odom to a multi-year NBA basketball contract, in El Segundo, Calif. Odom spent most of his 14-year NBA career in Los Angeles with the Lakers and Clippers, becoming a fan favorite before he sought even more fame with the Kardashians. Odom, who was embraced by teammates and television fans alike for his Everyman approach to fame, was found face-down and alone Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, after spending four days at the Love Ranch, a legal Nevada brothel. (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis, File)
FILE - In this July 31, 2009, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom speaks to the media during a news conference after the Lakers signed Odom to a multi-year NBA basketball contract, in El Segundo, Calif. Odom spent most of his 14-year NBA career in Los Angeles with the Lakers and Clippers, becoming a fan favorite before he sought even more fame with the Kardashians. Odom, who was embraced by teammates and television fans alike for his Everyman approach to fame, was found face-down and alone Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, after spending four days at the Love Ranch, a legal Nevada brothel. (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis, File)

THE last thing any professional athlete wants after they retire is for their name to be lost in the long list of former sporting superstars. Or worse yet, for their name to be reassigned to the list of current reality television stars.

Unfortunately for former NBA champion Lamar Odom, the latter has been all too evident this week as news arose of the 35-year-old’s shock hospital admission after he was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel.

Headlines labelling Odom a “reality TV star” or “Kardashian ex” rather than a former NBA player struck a cord with ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt, sparking a scathing attack from Van Pelt on media outlets looking to use the basketballer’s misadventure as an opportunity to boost page views.

Taking time out of his Wednesday night Sport Center program, Van Pelt warned others not to group Odom along with those “whose fame comes in the absence of accomplishment.”

“‘Kardashian reality star?’ No, no, no, no. Lamar Odom, unlike those for whom fame is oxygen, whose fame comes in the absence of accomplishment, his fame was earned as Sixth Man of the Year. As a multiple NBA champion. As the result of his significant role with the Los Angeles Lakers teams and being a beloved NBA teammate and peer,” Van Pelt passionately argued.

Van Pelt urged media outlets to credit the man for his namesake, rather than his minor role in the “alleged reality” of television.

“‘Passed out in a brothel’ makes for a hell of a headline, and I’m sure quite a juicy episode of TV, but stripped to the foundation, it’s just incredibly sad. All of it. A man who has dealt with so much loss, unable to find his way, who’s unfortunate reality becomes a plotline in alleged reality,” Van Pelt said.

“I understand that not everyone watches sports, but ‘Kardashian reality star’?

“His name is Lamar Odom, and we knew it long before he got married on a TV show that we don’t watch.”

Lamar Odom earned his fame through 15 years in the NBA.
Lamar Odom earned his fame through 15 years in the NBA.

Odom inadvertently fell into the reality TV spotlight in 2009 when he married Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Khloe Kardashian and featured quite heavily on the show. The couple eventually starred in their own spin-off series, Khloe & Lamar.

Despite featuring in his own reality program and attracting an increased interest from the entertainment sector, the Olympic bronze medallist was an active, contracted NBA player until he was waived by the New York Knicks in July 2014.

Odum won back-to-back NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers — just two of the many highlights spread across his 15-year-long professional basketball career.

Fans on Twitter agreed with the broadcaster’s passionate rant.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/his-name-is-lamar-odom-and-he-is-not-just-a-reality-tv-star/news-story/6617e9d2b85ec6a0faa82c19f8b2b9ea