Gossip Roundup Of The Week: The Lamar Odom Saga

It started with reports of a vanishing act and ended with a DUI arrest. It’s been quite a stretch for Lamar Odom.

Last week, the gossip began — reports surfaced that NBA star Lamar Odom had gone missing for three days and nobody knew where he was, not even his wife, Khloe Kardashian.

Was the basketball player’s life in grave danger or did he just get up and leave his reality star wife of four years? Was Lamar really hiding out somewhere doing crack cocaine or was he holed up in a nice hotel away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi? Were Lamar and Khloe getting a divorce after all?

It wasn’t long before we soon received visual confirmation last Sunday that the NBA star was very much alive, after a photographer had spotted Lamar at a Shell gas station transferring luggage from his friend’s SUV to his own white Mercedes. This, of course, led to even more speculation that Khloe had kicked Lamar out for good.

The big question though, was why?

WATCH: Lamar Odom’s Past Drug Problems — What Has He Admitted To?

That same day, on August 25, TMZ reported that Khloe had actually thrown Lamar out the previous Wednesday, after attempting a failed drug intervention. Khloe fought back with an angry, expletive-riddled Tweet about how she was protective of her family and that people should back off. Meanwhile, not even Kanye West was safe. The Twitterverse was abuzz. “How dare he perform on the VMAs when his future brother-in-law was going through a crisis?!?”

Come Monday, the media storm continued. Paparazzi had caught up with Lamar’s dad, Joe, who blew off a photographer when he was asked if he had heard from his son. It didn’t matter though, because Joe decided to disclose to another outlet that he had spoken to his son the night before. Finally, an agent for Lamar told ESPN that despite the stories on the Internet, the former Laker and Clipper was “not missing.” Khloe’s publicist then followed suit and issued a similar statement. In the midst of all this, Khloe was hounded at the gym and was captured trying to hide from the cameras, shielding herself with her left hand, prominently displaying her sparkler of a wedding ring.

Late into the day, articles continued popping up claiming that Khloe and Lamar were separated, but neither had taken any steps toward divorce. Various insiders and friends were quoted sharing their insights. Some went far, blaming his erratic behavior on Oxycontin and/or crack cocaine (allegations Lamar has yet to comment on).

With only hearsay and no real answers in sight, Tuesday arrived and the press persisted. X17 caught Khloe’s mother, Kris Jenner, leaving her office in Los Angeles. Rather than give the photogs some clarification on her son-in-law’s exact whereabouts, Jenner kept quiet (that was really the big news.) Almost simultaneously in another part of town, Lamar was photographed pumping gas and returning home to Khloe. Various sports figures and reporters quickly sounded off questioning how Lamar could have battled an addiction and gotten away with drug testing over the course of two years. (Good question. Very few logical answers.)

WATCH: Can Khloe & Lamar Survive The Reality TV Couples’ Curse?

The media’s big break ultimately came Monday. A shutterbug had located Lamar at Taco Bell and popped the question that was on all our enquiring minds, “Lamar, are the rumors true that you’re addicted to crack cocaine?” It couldn’t have been more direct. And, if Lamar (who was at least still wearing his wedding ring!) had chosen to answer the question, the firestorm might be over (for the most part, albeit temporarily).

The bad news was that the NBA forward seemed more interested in ordering his tacos and didn’t answer the photographer back (despite two attempts). Maybe it had something to do with new claims that the L.A. Clippers didn’t want him back. However, Thursday night, rumors surfaced that the Lakers were willing to hold a spot on the team for Lamar if he went to rehab immediately.

And then…

Early Friday morning, Lamar got pulled over by the California Highway Patrol. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. He was booked and refused a chemical test. Because Lamar turned it down, a spokesman for the CHP says Lamar’s license will get suspended for one year.

To recap: he still has no job, he now has no driver’s license, he may or may not still be with Khloe — frankly, we still don’t know what is really going on with Lamar Odom.

— Genevieve Wong