?I Was First a LA Laker, Now I?m a Hollywood Star?: 2X NBA Champion Got the ?Best of Both Worlds? After Marrying Khloe Kardashian

Former basketball player and two-time NBA champion, Lamar Odom was married to reality star Khloe Kardashian. Theirs was a whirlwind romance and a highly publicized one at that. They were married in 2007 after three weeks of dating. They eventually called it quits in 2013. Odom’s drug abuse and infidelity played a huge role in their divorce proceedings.

In an interview with VladTV, Odom was asked to share his experiences of the public relationship. He said: “I was first a LA Laker, now I’m a Hollywood star. So it was like getting the best of both worlds.”

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After his marriage to Khloe Kardashian, his name and red-carpet appearances also arrested more eyeballs. Lamar Odom said he was both a basketball star and Hollywood royalty at 29 years old. He looked back at the time and admitted that he was overwhelmed by his environment.

Did Hollywood’s glitz and glamour entice the 2x NBA champion?

At the time of his marriage, he was playing for Dallas Mavericks. He only played for four months before team managers reported his absence and his inactive participation. There were rumors that the reality show, ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ had gone through his head. The couple was featured on the show many times. They also had their own spin-off show titled, ‘Khloe & Lamar’ and showed the couple in their day-to-day.

Oprah Winfrey had a sit-down interview with the couple in 2012, where she asked the two-time NBA champion if the show had at all “detracted” him from his ability to play the game properly. Notably, Odom confessed that he couldn’t perform up to the par level expected of a professional basketball player. He said that he was looking for ways to “reprove” himself.

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Interestingly, the couple unanimously agreed that the cameras didn’t affect Odom’s career. Lamar Odom ended his 14-year NBA career in 2013.

What did you think of Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian’s short-lived marriage? Do you think that starring on the reality show affected Odom’s performance on the court? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.