You know how this goes.
When people see someone going through a hard time, everyone has a story to tell. Are the stories accurate? Maybe, maybe not, but if they are, you start to understand the person going through the hard time has a pattern of behavior that has been ignored for too long.
In this case, we are talking about Lamar Odom. TMZ spoke to several hotel employees, who describe some of the things Lamar was allegedly doing while he was on the road in the NBA.
Sources connected to a Westin hotel in Memphis tell TMZ … in March of 2012, shortly before Lamar was cut from the Mavs, he stayed in one of the guest rooms while his team was in town playing the Grizzlies.
Our sources say when Lamar left, hotel employees found major carpet damage … including quarter-sized burn marks. The damage was so bad, the hotel had to replace the carpeting in the room.
Our sources say hotel employees also found white powder on the desk blotter and the room reeked of noxious smoke. Our sources say it was obvious there was serious drug use going on in the hotel room.
The Westin is one of numerous hotels where NBA players stay when they’re on the road. TMZ has contacted a number of these hotels in various cities. We’ve learned from several hotel employees … they had complained about the state of the rooms when Lamar left — similar to what happened in Memphis — and this was while he was playing for the Lakers.
We’re told that during at least part of the time he was playing for the Mavs, Lamar was smoking Oxycontin and cocaine.
Those are some serious allegations, but we do know that the Mavs wanted him gone so badly, they paid him his full salary to just go away.
Lamar is obviously fighting some demons and we can only hope that he gets the help he needs.
