Report: Odom faces long rehab: 'We don't feel he is going to die'
It will be a long time before Lamar Odom is recovered from the harrowing incident that hospitalized him and had him reportedly fighting for his life. But according to one former coach, those close to the former NBA player are no longer worried that Odom will lose his life.
According to a report from USA Today, Odom is in "significantly better shape" than he was when he was transported from a Las Vegas hospital to Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. But the two-time NBA champion is far from out of the woods. USA Today quotes Odom's former college coach, Jim Harrick, as saying that Odom's rehabilitation could take six months, as it's unclear what state Odom's internal organs are in:
"Obviously there is a lot of attention about all this but the thing to remember is that there is a long road ahead to rehabilitation,” said Harrick, Odom’s coach at the University of Rhode Island for the 1998-99 season. “This is serious stuff. It could be six months or more for rehab and all that. We don’t know what state his kidneys and lungs are going to be in."
Despite the long road to recovery, Harrick said that family and friends don't think Odom is still fighting for his life:
"The big thing is that we don’t feel he is going to die," Harrick said. "That was the hard part, not knowing about that. All the guys he knows, all the guys he played with, everyone has just been hanging on pins and needles waiting to see what is going to happen.
"I love him and care about him. You can see from the reaction how people feel about him. I just want him to get right and have a long and happy life."
Odom was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel almost two weeks ago. The former NBA player has had substance abuse issues in the past, receiving multiple suspensions for violating the NBA's substance abuse policy and reportedly being arrested for DUI in 2013.
Odom is married to reality television star Khloe Kardashian, who has reportedly been by his side since he was hospitalized. The two had filed for divorce, but after Odom's medical scare, Kardashian reportedly withdrew the petition for divorce.
