Lamar Odom denied a tabloid report that he was kidnapped over a gambling debt and held hostage during a trip to Portland, Oregon.
Earlier this week, Radar Online claimed that Odom was in Oregon in early June to visit his then-girlfriend, Savanna Waldrop, and her family. Odom told Waldrop he planned to go gambling, even though he did not have the money to. So, she helped him get a $10,000 loan from “some shady locals,” according to the tabloid. Odom lost all the money within 20 minutes and, since he could not pay them back, they broke down Odom’s hotel door and held him for ransom.
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“They kidnapped him for two days and took him to their house in Portland where he basically just hung out with them,” a source told Radar. “Savanna tried calling him, but they wouldn’t let him pick up the phone or text.”
The bookies allegedly let Odom go after he paid them $1,500 and his team chipped in $2,800.
Odom and his team denied every part of this sensational story.
“We are aware of the false story circulating around regarding Lamar,” his publicist told PEOPLE. “We are not denying that Lamar does know this woman, however she was merely an acquaintance and nothing more who has had a hard time with the fact that Lamar does not want to have any contact with her and therefore she has been stalking him and seeking attention from the media. We are in the process of seeking a restraining order.”
Odom also made fun of the story on his Instagram page, sharing a screenshot of the headline and joking that he “got lost in a rabbit hole together with my kidnappers, Rapunzel and the 7 dwarfs saved me! We all lived happily ever after.”
“This bulls– makes me wanna start my own gossip online platform and report stories only about me,” he added.
Odom, 38, played in the NBA from 1999 to 2013 and was married to Khloe Kardashian from 2006 to 2015, but the divorce was not finalized until the end of 2016.
In 2015, he was put on life support after he was found unconscious at a Las Vegas brothel. He has since recovered and has spent time in China after signing a deal with the 90 Plus Group. On Saturday, he will have a meet-and-greet with fans at a sports memorabilia store in Boca Raton, Florida.
In a recent interview with comedian Kevin Hart, Odom said his doctors call him a “walking miracle,” because he had 12 strokes and six heart attacks during his coma.
“Every day, I’m alive,” Odom said. “It’s much better than the alternative.”
Photo credit: Power Sport Images/Getty Images
