Lamar Odom was found unconscious last week in a brothel in Nevada. Officials say Odom had cocaine and herbal Viagra in his system and is now being treated at the Cedars Sinai medical center in Los Angeles.

Lamar Odom, as in Khloe Kardashian’s ex-husband, right? Technically, yes; but he is so much more than that.

Odom was the fourth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers where he had a successful first year in which he received the honor of NBA All-Rookie Team. Odom played for the Clippers for four consecutive seasons and returned in for the 2012-2103 season after playing for the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks. Odom won two NBA Championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010 according to ESPN.com. His impressive career with the Lakers continued when he received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2011. Needless to say, Odom proved his talent and made a name for himself as a basketball superstar. So why do we only refer to him as Khloe Kardashian’s husband?

Various news sources that covered the recent Lammy tragedy used pictures of him and Khloe, and many didn’t even reference his record-breaking basketball career. It’s impossible to find a news story about Odom that doesn’t also reference Khloe.

As a society, we need to step back and look at the hypocrisy taking place. We criticize various news sources and magazines for asking famous actresses, female singers and models about their clothes and relationships. We urge these reporters to ask these ladies important questions about their careers and beliefs, however, there has been no such uproar when a man is in these same conditions. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for girl-power and feminism; however feminism is defined as equality among genders. If we are going to move this country towards gender equality then we must give both genders equal respect. The Kardashians get enough publicity as it is so let’s not keep adding gasoline to the fire, people.

Being married to Khloe is a huge part of Lamar’s life, but it is not all of it. It is not his legacy and it does not define him. The success that he built for himself should be recognized by the public, and he should be respected enough to be known for his own feats. Although the circumstances are not ideal in Lamar’s case, this story has reminded us of a chronic issue that has been present in the media: recognizing powerful people for the lesser powerful things they have done. Lamar Odom is a basketball player, so he should be referred to as one.