Reality TV gets mocked a lot. Fair enough, most of the time. But the name says it right there. It can still hand you a "real" moment. Something scripted TV has a harder time pulling off.
Tristan Thompson 's apology to Kylie Jenner is one of those moments.
The cheating on Jenner's sister, Khloé Kardashian, famously happened back in 2019. Thompson sat on part of it for years. He, for instance, never addressed the fallout that reached Jenner. Then the cameras caught the former NBA big man finally doing it.
Sitting across from her during a 2023 episode of "The Kardashians," he said what finally needed saying.
Kylie and Jordyn Woods had been close since eighth grade. Woods was practically family, and Kylie once called her a sister. They even lived together for a time. Before either had a driver's license, they rode Segways around Calabasas. Woods later joined Kylie's reality TV spinoff and stood by her through the birth of her first daughter.
Then came February 2019.
Thompson and Kardashian were still together. They were even expecting their first child. However, still reports surfaced that Thompson had gotten close to Woods at a house party.
Kylie's former friend later shared her side of the story on "Red Table Talk." She acknowledged that alcohol was involved and said the 2016 NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers kissed her as she was leaving.
Khloé ended things with Tristan almost immediately. Kylie cut ties with Jordyn just as quickly.
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It was clear that Thompson had made a serious mistake. But it took real self-reflection to understand how deeply it had affected not only Khloé, but Kylie, too. During Episode 8 of Season 4 of "The Kardashians," he didn't shy away from it.
"If someone told me, do you think Kylie misses Jordyn, I'd probably say yes," Tristan admitted , per The Daily Beast. "And I feel bad about that. Especially me, being the older one. I should have handled it differently. I should have handled it more as the older person. As the wiser one."
"It's 100 percent on me," he later told Kylie. "But I want to say I'm sorry, and I feel bad about it."
Before that, the 14-year NBA veteran had already acknowledged how close Kylie and Woods once were, stating, "You guys were two peas in a pod." He also said that for her it meant "losing a sister, basically."
Thompson then admitted that putting Woods and himself in that situation "wasn't right and wasn't smart."
Double T also called his younger self an idiot. He blamed it on being young and stupid.
Kylie, meanwhile, said it was hard to forgive "the things" he had done to her sister. The 29-year-old was still prepared to "move on from that."
Interestingly, Larsa Pippen has lived through a similar situation. After her divorce from NBA legend Scottie Pippen, she didn't just lose a marriage. She lost one of his sisters, too. The woman had been one of Larsa's "best friends."
The difference? Kylie and Jordyn eventually found their way back to each other .
In April 2026, the pair were spotted jumping for joy courtside as the New York Knicks knocked off the Boston Celtics . Woods was there to support Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns . Kylie was there with actor Timothée Chalamet.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
