Lamar Odom Death Hoax: Some Reports Say Former NBA Star Is Dead, But Scott Van Pelt Steps Up

Former NBA star Lamar Odom is fighting for his life in a Nevada hospital as of Thursday morning after being rushed there on Tuesday. He was found unconscious at a brothel, where he had spent four days using cocaine and other such drugs, including an herbal version of Viagra. Numerous reports have surfaced over the course of the last couple of days saying he is dead, but Odom has simply been the victim of another celebrity death hoax.

It’s happened to James Earl Jones, Willie Nelson, and a whole host of other celebrities. False reports start being passed around after sites write them in hopes of getting more views and hits, but as of this writing, Lamar Odom is not dead.

As reported by CNN, Odom is indeed fighting for his life, and the two-time NBA champion is now surrounded by his children, estranged wife Khloe Kardashian, and her family.

One of the articles being passed around the most comes from a site called TMZ Today, and it simply states “Lamar Odom Pronounced Dead At 35.” The article has more than 183,000 Facebook likes, and while it does provide some real info regarding his situation, he’s not dead.

The article starts off saying that he passed away “this evening,” yet there is no date and it doesn’t say what day the evening was on. It also reveals that “Lamar Odom passed away with his ex wife, Khloe Kardashian and ex mother in law Kris Jenner at his side.”

Yes, they are by his side, but again, he isn’t dead.

There are dozens and dozens of comments on the article with people wishing their condolences and saying they are praying for Lamar Odom’s family. A lot of people take this site to be the actual TMZ and don’t read the disclaimer at the bottom.

“Tmztoday.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news. Please note that articles written on this site are for entertainment and satirical purposes only.
Copyright 2015 © TmzToday All rights reserved”

The article is getting passed around on social media, so everyone believes the story. In this case, they believe Lamar Odom is dead.

In all honesty, a number of people have gotten even more confused, as NJ.com revealed that both rapper Lil Wayne and NBA star J.R. Smith both thought Odom was dead too. Smith gave a very long tribute on Instagram but has since deleted it. Lil Wayne’s tweet is oddly still not deleted even after being up more than 24 hours.

R.I.P LO Dam man. My blessings to ur fam and friends.

— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) October 14, 2015

As people begin realizing that Lamar Odom isn’t dead, prayers are being sent up for him, but a different controversy is brewing.

News outlets are constantly referring to Lamar Odom as a “reality star” or “former star on the Kardashian TV show.” Rapper Bun B took to his Twitter to come down on all those simply referring to Odom as anything other than an NBA player.

“Word? A Kardashian reality star? F**k his NBA career right Nancy Grace? He has a godd**n name. Lamar Odom. Vultures.”

After seeing that tweet, ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt addressed it and the whole Lamar Odom situation during his “One Big Thing” segment on SportsCenter on Wednesday evening. He not only agreed with Bun B’s point but brought a lot of perspective to the situation.

Scott Van Pelt is just one of many who echo the sentiment, as there are plenty of people who hope Lamar Odom will pull through. However, as some people see him as an NBA star and huge athlete, another side sees him as Khloe Kardashian’s husband or ex-husband or co-star on a reality show.

For some reason, his two NBA championships, Sixth Man of the Year award, Bronze medal, Gold medal, and 14-year professional career take back seat to a couple of seasons on a reality TV show.

Lamar Odom is fighting for his life, and many people around the world hope that he ends up pulling through. The celebrity death hoax has gotten hold of him, and fortunately for now, it’s just that — a hoax. The former NBA star has a tough battle ahead of him, but anything is possible.

[Image via Getty Images – Garrett W. Ellwood/Rocky Widner/Frazer Harrison]