Former NBA star Lamar Odom attends Trump cryptocurrency gala amid protests
Former NBA champion calls attendance 'the most authentic soulful experience in crypto history' despite corruption concerns
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Donald Trump hosted top investors for one of his cryptocurrency projects at his luxury golf course in Northern Virginia on Thursday, and one of them was former NBA star Lamar Odom.
Protesters gathered outside the club holding signs that said "stop crypto corruption" and "no corrupt fools."
The ex-Laker was not absolved from those same protesters - but he was not fazed.
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Lamar Odom, #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers, drives the ball upcourt during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on April 3, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. (Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
"I’m just about to pass through security and officially walk into the Trump Gala. Honestly… I’m fired up," Odom said in an X post.
"Think about it—what meme coin has ever done this? $ODOM isn’t just a token, it’s taking the stage at a presidential gala tonight!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Odom also said in the post, "This is the most authentic soulful experience in crypto history."
Among those protesting outside the golf club were Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon.
"This is the crypto corruption club," the Times quoted Merkley as saying. "This is like the Mount Everest of corruption."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 26: Lamar Odom attends Shiggy vs Junebug Press Conference at Vivide on May 26, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. Paras Griffin/Getty Images) ( Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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Three days before Trump took office on Jan. 20, he announced the creation of the $TRUMP meme coin, describing as a way for his supporters to "have fun."
Trump’s meme coin saw an initial spike in value, followed by a steep drop. Its creators, which include an entity controlled by the Trump Organization, have made hundreds of millions of dollars by collecting fees on trades, according to the Associated Press.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Critics have raised concerns that the president's connection with cryptocurrency ventures could open the door to conflicts of interest and influence peddling.
An activist calls out an attendee of an exclusive dinner at Trump National Golf Club Washington DC on Thursday, May 22. (Kevin Wolf/AP Content Services for Our Revolution)
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Odom played 14 seasons in the NBA, 12 of them with the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers. He won back-to-back titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in the 2010-11 campaign.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Greg Norman, Eric Revell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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