Lamar Odom soaked up plenty of adulation during his time in the NBA, including two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. But on May 22 he was met with boos as he entered a dinner for top investors in President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency venture.
More: How much money did Trump make in first 100 days? Crypto deals raise questions
Protesters gathered outside Trump’s club in Sterling, Virginia, heckled Odom along with everyone entering the venue, as seen on a video the former NBA player turned crypto entrepreneur posted on social media. One protester called out, “Hypocrite!” Another held up a sign saying “Don the Con.” Others had a banner reading “No Kings.”
I’m just about to pass through security and officially walk into the Trump Gala.
Honestly… I’m fired up.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!
By the way, Bitcoin is smashing through… pic.twitter.com/7eI5SezPLh
— LAMAR ODOM (@LamarOdom) May 22, 2025
Democrats and ethics experts have sharply criticized Trump’s crypto businesses, saying they offer wealthy people access to and an opportunity to influence the president. The dinner for top purchasers of the $TRUMP meme coin is a vivid example of that, critics said, as 220 top investors got some prized time with the commander in chief.
A group of congressional Democrats sent a letter to the Justice Department urging the agency to investigate whether Trump’s crypto dinner violates the federal bribery statute or the foreign emoluments provision in the Constitution. The emoluments clause bars any U.S. official from accepting “any present” of “any kind whatsoever, from any King, Prince, or foreign state.”
But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters it’s “absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency.”
Though the White House refused to publicize the list of dinner guests, some revealed publicly that they attended. Odom posted on social media that he was “fired up” to be at the event, although the video showed only the jeers of protesters as he walked into the club.
“Think about it – what meme coin has ever done this?” Odom wrote.
Odom also has a meme coin of his own, which he promoted in the post.
A 14-year NBA veteran, Odom was in the spotlight for his marriage to Khloé Kardashian and appeared on her reality television show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” The couple also had a show, “Khloé & Lamar.” In 2015, Odom was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel after a drug overdose. The pair’s divorce was finalized in 2016.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lamar Odom booed by hecklers at Trump’s crypto dinner
