Lamar Odom Update: EX-NBA Star Reportedly Makes Miracle Turnaround, Doesn’t Need New Kidney

Lamar Odom is reportedly making “miraculous” progress at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. TMZ reports that Lamar Odom’s kidney function has drastically improved, and he probably will not need a kidney transplant after all.

Apparently Lamar’s improvement has been so unexpected that it has surprised his doctors since his kidney problems were life-threatening. According to TMZ, Odom is now receiving physical therapy in another part of the hospital, and he has been taken off dialysis. Previous media reports have disclosed that the former Los Angeles Laker suffered 12 strokes, which have impaired some of his motor skills. Doctors are currently working with Lamar to see if he can regain some of what he lost.

.@RealLamarOdom‘s near-miraculous road to recovery continues with more good news: https://t.co/X9bri4dvvK pic.twitter.com/AAcdSYSKsO

— CELEBUZZ (@CELEBUZZ) October 30, 2015

But his recent health improvement does not mean that Lamar Odom is out of the woods yet. A source close to the family said that Lamar’s situation is still serious and that the doctors are treating Lamar as a “victim of brain trauma,” Entertainment Tonight reports.

“It wasn’t just one small stroke, it was a series of strokes,” the source told Entertainment Tonight. “They won’t know the extent of the damage for a few months. They need time for the brain swelling to go down.”

The strokes have not only affected Lamar’s motor skills but have also impacted his ability to speak.

“He can speak, yes, but he’s not having conversations. He’s not operating like he was before this,” the source revealed.

In the future, Lamar Odom may need a voice and speech therapist to help him to restore his regular speech pattern.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Khloe Kardashian has halted divorce proceedings against Lamar. According to Entertainment Tonight, Khloe has reportedly done this so that she can hold on to her power of attorney rights and keep making medical decisions on Lamar Odom’s behalf.

“The doctors have already told Khloe that if he ever did drugs again, the damage it would do his brain will be irreversible,” ET’s source said. “This is his chance to finally quit drugs all together and start a new life, and everyone is just hoping he will.”

But even though the Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom divorce is off for now, that doesn’t mean her relationship with James Harden is over. Khloe was recently seen at a Houston Rockets game, watching James Harden play from a suite.

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom got married in 2009 after a whirlwind, month-long courtship. The ups and downs of their marriage were chronicled on their short-lived reality TV show spin-off Khloe and Lamar. The show ran for two seasons and went off the air in 2012. Khloe and Lamar filed for divorce in 2013. At the time, many claimed that the reason for the divorce was infidelity and Lamar’s ongoing drug problem.

Lamar Odom was found unconscious at a brothel called the Love Ranch outside of Las Vegas in mid-October. He reportedly spent $75,000 on a private suite, where he was accompanied by multiple sex-workers. At the time, CNN reported that he had been taking an herbal version of Viagra and possibly other drugs, including cocaine. He had been at the Love Ranch for four days. According to CNN, on the fourth day, he was found unresponsive in his room with a pinkish liquid coming out of his mouth and nose.

Love Ranch owner Dennis Hof told CNN that Lamar called him on Saturday and told him that he wanted to spend time at the ranch. Hof obliged and allowed Odom to stay in his home, which is attached to the brothel.

“He was having a good time at the ranch and everything was great,” Hof said.

That all changed on Sunday. Hof said Odom’s became “a bit somber.” He was getting a lot of calls, Hof continued, and people were bothering him.

Lamar Odom’s best friend died earlier this year. Over the years, many of his loved ones have lost their lives, including a cousin who Odom has said was murdered.

“Death always seems to be around me,” Odom told the Los Angeles Times in 2011. “I’ve been burying people for a long time.”

[Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images]