Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian's relationship will always be of interest to sports and entertainment fans alike. What began as a whirlwind romance in 2009 quickly spiraled into one of the most popular sports and celebrity marriages of all time.
At the height of their relationship, Odom was fresh off helping the Los Angeles Lakers win a ring, while Khloe was one of the rising stars of reality television alongside her sisters, thanks to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Within a month of meeting, the pair were engaged, and just days later, they were married.
According to Odom, the swift development of his romance with Khloe was amplified by his desire to live her life. Speaking to People Magazine, he admitted that she was drawn to the idea of combining his then-Lakers star power with Khloe's celebrity fame.
"Now I'm already Lamar Odom, and I'm just watching how she lives and their lifestyle. I'm like, 'I know this is where I wanna be.' Like, 'This is how I wanna live," he said .
Today, Odom is merely considered a former Laker, but back then, he was every bit a star. Playing for the Lakers will grant anyone with a certain level of fame, but the Kardashians operated in an entirely different world, one that he wanted to be in.
Their relationship became a huge part of popular culture at the time, as millions watched for a glimpse of their lives. It was all going well until cracks slowly began to emerge, and it seeped through the public eye as Odom's struggles with infidelity and substance abuse became difficult to hide at the same time their new reality series, Khloe & Lamar, began to get popular.
Odom wanted to bask in his fame and his newfound popularity with Khloe, specifically his "Laker power" to her "Kardashian power", but he admits he wasn't prepared to tackle everything, especially with his own personal problems still in his crosshairs.
"But I wasn't really ready for all that power," Odom admitted.
On paper, it was the ultimate celebrity marriage as Odom was one of the most recognizable players in the league, playing in the league's most popular franchise. Khloe was part of the Kardashian family, which had become one of the most influential brands in entertainment.
However, in reality, Odom was not in a good place at that time. His infidelity and addiction eventually became the poison that damaged their marriage, with him even acknowledging in recent years that he was not the husband that Khloe deserved during that time, as well as his career, which went into a downward spiral after he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
It all culminated in 2015, when Odom was found unconscious at Nevada's Love Ranch brothel after suffering multiple strokes and heart attacks related to a drug overdose. He and Khloe had been going through their divorce proceedings at the time, but she paused everything to take care of him and guide him through his recovery, eventually saving his life.
As tumultuous as their marriage was, there is evidently still love from both sides to this day. Odom has repeatedly credited Khloe and her family for helping save his life during his dark period, and once his health stabilized in 2016, both mutually finalized their divorce.
Since then, both have traveled very different paths, with Khloe continuing to build her business empire while remaining one of reality television's biggest stars. Odom had spent much of the past decade focusing on helping others with their addiction through speaking out on his own.
But for a time, it seemed that Odom was at the top. The Kardashians introduced him to an entirely different level of celebrity fame and he was on the Lakers, but, as he admits, he wasn't at all prepared to deal with it.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
