LAMAR Odom has been accused of failing to donate money raised through his charity to cancer research.
The LA Clippers star - who has been married to reality TV star Khloe Kardashian for three years - is facing allegations that none of the money raised through his foundation Cathy's Kids has actually been donated to help fight cancer.
The 33-year-old basketballer created the foundation in 2004 in honour of his late mother who died of stomach cancer when he was 12 to help underprivileged kids and raise money for cancer research.
According to official records obtained by ESPN, there is no evidence that any of the $2.2 million raised by Cathy's Kids since its creation ever went to cancer charity.
Further, the charity's work so far amounts to some $1.3 million spent on youth basketball teams, while the only paid executive for Cathy’s Kids was Jerry DeGregorio, Odom’s high school coach and the best man at his wedding Khloe, the sports network reports.
The 28-year-old starlet took to her website to publicly defend her husband against the public "attack".
"It is unfortunate that my husband has been the target of an attack on athletes' charities, although he has personally contributed approximately $2.2 million to his foundation, Cathy's Kids, to fulfill its charitable purposes that include helping underprivileged inner-city youth", she posted.
"... All of the funds donated by Lamar and the other contributions to Cathy's Kids were used for one of the foundation's intended charitable purposes. Not one penny went to help Lamar personally or any member of his family..." the statement continued.
ESPN conducted its 'Outside The Lines' investigation of more than a hundred charities associated with top athletes.
The investigation uncovered 115 high-profile charities that were not passing out raised profits effectively or properly, with more than 74 per cent failing to operate under standards upheld by the Better Business Bureau and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
