Touching: Lamar Odom’s Children Ask for ‘Continued Prayers’ for Their Dad (PICTURED)

As Lamar Odom remains in critical condition, his kids are breaking their silence for the first time since their father’s hospitalization.

“Thanks for your outpouring of prayers and support for our dad,” Destiny and Lamar Odom Jr. said in the statement to ET. “We are here with our family and friends. We appreciate everyone respecting our privacy at this time. We ask for your continued prayers.”

Destiny and Lamar Jr. were accompanied by their mother, Lamar’s ex-girlfriend Liza Morales and their aunt to be by their father’s bedside at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas. Odom’s ex Khloe Kardashian has remained by his side, while Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kylie Jenner have lent their support, but have since left Las Vegas.

Odom’s father, Joe, his aunt, JaNean, and his former Laker teammate, Kobe Bryant, have also been spotted at the hospital.

The 35-year-old NBA champ was placed in a medically-induced coma after being found unresponsive at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada on Tuesday. Odom is believed to have been at the brothel for a four-day stretch, staying in the establishment’s High Roller Suite, which starts at $10K per night.

Odom and Morales, who is of Puerto Rican descent, met in the ninth grade and started dating two years later, but never married. In addition to Destiny, 17, and Lamar Jr, 13, the former couple also had son Jayden Odom, who died at six and a half months in 2006 from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which prompted basketball player to almost quit the game.
In March 2013, Morales wrote an open letter to the Daily Beast in which she opened up about how she received the news that her ex-boyfriend was marrying Kardashian.
“I don’t think I’ll forget the tight knot I felt in the pit of my stomach the morning I received the text message with three simple words on the screen. It read ‘I’m getting married’ and it was from the man I’d spent more than 10 years of my life with,” she wrote, adding that she was shocked Odom and Kardashian would marry after a four-week courtship.

(via ET, Latina Fox News)