This past weekend I learned two things: that there is no loyalty or gratitude when it comes to the big business of professional sports, and men take rejection even worse than women.

Last Thursday, the Internet was whipped into a frenzy when news broke of a 3-team deal that would send New Orleans Hornets superstar Chris Paul, 26, to the LA Lakers for Pau Gasol, 31, (to Houston Rockets) and Khloe Kardashian’s husband, Lamar Odom, to New Orleans.

But the controversial deal was nixed by NBA commissioner David Stern Thursday night, because the NBA owns the Hornets, and only Stern gets to say where Paul goes until a suitable owner with deep pockets can be found to take the team off his hands in these poor economic times.

Stern, who is probably the most hated man in the league right now, said in a statement “…we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.”

Chris Paul was understandably heated that the deal fell through. But Lamar Odom, 32, was practically inconsolable. The 6 ft 10 in, 230 lb forward went on a Twitter rant Thursday night, and later he broke down during an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

“I would think that I wouldn’t be treated like a number,” said Odom, who spent 7 of his 13 years in the league in a Lakers uniform. “I thought I was going to be here the rest of my whole life. I would think I would get a call at least,” he cried.

Odom even blamed his reality show, ‘Khloe and Lamar’, on the team’s decision to trade him.

“We got this dude coming on TV,” said Odom referring to the Lakers response to his reality TV show. “Some people like ‘the hell with that … we tired of seeing this.’ “

Odom was so dejected that he stayed away from the opening day of training camp on Friday. But Pau Gasol not only showed up, but he even took part in filming a promo ad for the Lakers’ upcoming game Christmas day game.

48 hours after the deal fell through, Odom learned he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. His teammate Kobe Bryant didn’t take the news well. “To be honest with you, I don’t like it,” Kobe told reporters Sunday. “It’s tough to lose Lamar.”

And Odom’s wife, Khloe, took to her Twitter page to express her disappointment.

“We are all sad but positive energy gets you farther then negative,” she tweeted.

She added: “everything happens for a reason” and “Life is not always fair. ‘Sometimes you get a splinter even sliding down a rainbow.'”