Lakers' Odom gives back to community

Lamar Odom, known among his teammates as a caring and giving person, reached out to the local community Monday after Lakers practice, visiting the City of Hope in Duarte.

Odom, along with his wife, reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, visited a children's cancer unit in Duarte and passed out toys and passed along the holiday spirit.

Odom did the event through his charity, Cathy's Kids Foundation, which he has dedicated to underprivileged youth and to cancer research.

Odom started the foundation in 2004 in memory of his mother, Cathy Mercer, who died from cancer when he was 12.

-- Broderick Turner

Photo: Lamar Odom and wife Khloe Kardashian arrive for a benefit in Los Angeles last month. Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Lakers help TNT to big-time ratings (the Clippers were there too)

TNT announced Wednesday afternoon that its Tuesday night doubleheader of Cleveland-Boston followed by the Lakers-Clippers was its most-watched two-headed night since Feb. 2, 1996. The Lakers were part of that doubleheader bonanza as well, playing the Chicago Bulls after a Phoenix-Cavaliers game.

The Lakers got their rings, TNT was able to give shots of Lamar Odom's new wife, Khloe Kardashian, Kobe Bryant smiled sincerely when Tex Winter was honored in an after-the-third-quarter ceremony, and so it's no surprise that ratings soared. It was a Hollywood event.

About 3.7 million tuned in to the games, according to TNT, and that also meant it was the network's most-watched opening night in its 26 years of doing NBA telecasts. 

Oh, and TNT analyst Charles Barkley went out on a limb. He said, "The Clippers and Oklahoma City are both going to have a better record than the Golden State Warriors." And he said that even knowing Blake Griffin has the broken kneecap thing. 

Also, NBA.com noted a 121% increase in video-stream viewing and a 25% increase in total Web page views. You are all multitasking it seems.

-- Diane Pucin

Injured Lakers back at practice

The Lakers had a full complement of players at practice Monday.

 

After missing the last two exhibition games, Lamar Odom (contusion of the lower right leg), Pau Gasol (strained hamstring) and Luke Walton (sore back) all practiced Monday. Walton had a limited practice, however.

 

Of the three, only Odom has a good chance of playing Tuesday night when the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. Gasol and Walton are doubtful.

 

“We went through a limited practice today, and these guys could do most of it,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “Lamar is probably the best, and then Pau and Luke.”

-- Broderick Turner

Photo: Luke Walton, left, and Lamar Odom share a laugh before their preseason game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian agree to a prenup

TMZ is reporting that Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian have finally agreed on their prenup (is it still a prenup if they sign it after the wedding?), meaning they can live happily ever after at last.

The contract Odom signed with the Lakers in the off-season, four years, $33 million, can't be touched by Khloe in a divorce. And Khloe will get an as-of-yet unrevealed annual lump sum, which will not go up or down during the marriage.

TMZ also reports that during the negotiations Khloe got Lamar to agree to buy a nice, expensive house for both of them that will probably cost $5 million minimum.

It brings a tear to the eye to see true love prevail like this. And some think the sanctity of marriage is threatened. How silly.

-- Houston Mitchell

Photo: Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian arrive at the Philippe Restaurant grand opening on Oct. 12 in West Hollywood. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Injured Lakers improving

The three injured Lakers all have made improvements.

But of the three, only Lamar Odom has a chance of playing this weekend in exhibition games at Staples Center.

Odom suffered a contusion of his right shin during Thursday night's game, but was able to practice for a period Friday before Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said he pulled his forward.

Jackson added that Odom probably will play Saturday night when the Lakers face the Charlotte Bobcats.

Jackson said Pau Gasol (strained right hamstring) and Luke Walton (sore back)  may not play this weekend because of their injuries.

-- Broderick Turner

Photo: Lamar Odom appears during warmups on October 15. Photo credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images.

Still the exhibition season? Looks like it

No Pau Gasol, no Luke Walton, and no increase in minutes for any of the Lakers regulars ... yet.

Gasol and Walton will sit out tonight's exhibition game in Las Vegas against Sacramento because of minor injuries, just a couple of the indicators that this isn't quite the regular season.

Gasol has a strained right hamstring and Walton a sore back.

Meanwhile, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said he wasn't going to start increasing the playing time of the starters until next week's exhibition action.

Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest are averaging only 24 minutes in two exhibition games. Gasol was averaging only 20 minutes a game, as was Lamar Odom.

Lakers' Lamar Odom looks, sounds happy

When he was approached for, oh, the 100th time, and asked to talk about his wedding for, oh, the 100th time, Lamar Odom rolled his eyes as the media followed him today at the Lakers' media day.

Odom didn't want to talk about getting married Sunday to reality TV star Khloe Kardashian. But the easy-going Odom relented, knowing he was going to keep being asked for, oh, 100 more times, about getting married.

He started by saying, "This event I had on Sunday."

Odom did talk about the Lakers trying to repeat as NBA champions.

He talked about winning his first NBA title, when the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in five games.

But so much still was about his wedding.

"It was real," Odom said about his wedding ceremony. "It's crazy how perception works in America when you're looking at things from the outside. 'It [the wedding] might be off, it might be on.' But anybody that was there will tell you that it was a beautiful event and it was real."

-- Broderick Turner

Photo: Lamar Odom. Credit: Jeff Golden / Getty Images

Ted Green: Lamar Odom's marriage won't distract Lakers

As I was telling my good friend Lamar Odom the other day, a man is not complete until he’s married. 

Then he’s finished. Lamar didn’t listen. Really, who does in matters of the heart? So now, instead of L.O., they’re L-Khloe.

Now, I’m as big a fan of love as the next guy. For example, I love the Lakers, the Dodgers, SC football, UCLA basketball, Coach Wooden and chicken burritos. 

Hang on a moment -- my wife’s reading over my shoulder and wants to speak with me privately in the next room.

As I was saying, love is grand, but is being only the third-best Laker really a reason to marry only the third-hottest Kardashian?

Does "Keeping Up With the Odoms" really have the same ring to it? 

Yes, I did say ring.

It's official! Lamar Odom has married Khloe Kardashian

E! online has confirmed that Lakers star Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian are now officially married. Finally, the nation can exhale.

The bride wore a Vera Wang gown and was escorted down the aisle by stepdad Bruce Jenner. And yes, Kobe Bryant and most of the Lakers were in attendance.

Now the country can turn its attention to less-important matters, like national health care and the war in Iraq.

And I promised myself I wouldn't cry.......

-- Houston Mitchell

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TMZ has live video from outside the Lamar Odom-Khloe Kardashian wedding

Update: Pre-wedding video is over, as the wedding is now underway. No video of the wedding is available right now.

TMZ has live video from outside the site of Lamar Odom's wedding to Khloe Kardashian, allowing many interesting questions to be answered:

When will the Lakers get there? Who from the team will be there? Will they all arrive in one car? If so, who will be driving? Will they show Lamar being dragged kicking and screaming to the altar, prenup in hand?

It should all be on video for those of you with nothing better to do today than watch.

-- Houston Mitchell

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