Los Angeles, Oct 27 (IANS): Basketball star Lamar Odom, who was put on life support following a drug overdose at a Nevada brothel, reportedly remains in critical condition.

"The pneumonia was a huge setback, and now there's worry about permanent scarring of the lungs," a source close to the Kardashian family was quoted as saying to the news outlet, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"His kidneys are still not functioning correctly, but he's nowhere near strong enough to even think of a transplant, so he's on dialysis. It's two steps forward, then a step back, but it does feel like some progress is being made, little by little. There's still a black cloud," the source added.

Regarding Odoms's current condition, the source said: "He can carry out simple directions, but it takes some time for him to do it. But that's way better than he was last week, so the family is taking the good news as they get it."

However, the player's physical condition, according to the source, may not be the same as before the brothel incident happened.

"He has wrecked his body, so it'll take time to figure out how well he can come back. But everyone knows that he'll never be the same as he was before this happened. There will always be lasting effects, and doctors are just trying to minimize them," the source said.