Lamar Odom Shares Regrets About Leaving Taraji P. Henson for Khloé Kardashian
Many will always associate Lamar Odom with the Kardashian family thanks to his highly publicized marriage to Khloé. But before walking down the aisle with her, Odom was dating Taraji P. Henson. During their relationship, he says he fell in love with Kardashian. Odom now regrets the way things between him and Henson ended.
Lamar Odom gushes over relationship with Taraji P. Henson
The former LA Laker opened up about his romance with the future Oscar nominee in an episode of TV One’s UNCENSORED in 2019.
“She was a little older than me, but I learned a lot from her because that was the most significant relationship as a grown-up that I had with a Black woman. I used to carry a picture of her on the road with me,” he said.
Related: Why Lamar Odom’s Daughter Described His Marriage To Khloé Kardashian as ‘Toxic’
He added: “She gave me inspiration. A Black woman, working like that, that’s just as good at her craft that I am in my craft.”
For Odom, as quickly as their romance blossomed, it fizzled just as quickly. “Things ended with Taraji because I was an immature punk,” he said. “I didn’t know how to tell her that I was falling in love with another woman.”
The NBA champion regrets the way he ended things with Taraji P. Henson for Khloé Kardashian
The other woman turned out to be Kardashian. In a recent interview with Vlad TV, Odom says he didn’t properly end things with Henson before becoming acquainted with Kardashian.
“I met a young woman named Khloé [Kardashian] around that time,” Odom said. “I wish I was a bigger man and I wasn’t really. How it kind of ended with Taraji, I wish I would have bossed up. I just kind of let it fizzle out.”
Related: Lamar Odom Says He Knew the Exact Moment His Marriage To Khloé Kardashian Was Over
He also told Extra TV of Henson, “She’s a good woman, she treated me well. It was deep, intense, and a good time in my life.”
Per Kardashian, the two met during a night out but she wasn’t interested. “The first time I met Lamar, I wasn’t that down for him,” Kardashian said. “It was typical — I was in a nightclub, he was a basketball player…I wasn’t down for that whole…thing. But once I got to meet him. His heart, his smile — I mean, I love everything about Lamar — but at first nothing really attracted me to him.”
Within 30 days of their meeting, the pair married in 2009. As for how things moved so fast between him and the reality star, Odom tells Vlad, “When you know, you know.”
Lamar Odom also regrets his indiscretions in his marriage
Odom and Kardashian’s marriage played out on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, as well as their own spinoff series Khloe & Lamar. But after two seasons of the spinoff, the show ended. Odom’s appearances on KUWTK decreased.
Related: Why Khloé Kardashian Claims Lamar Odom Was ‘So Great’ at Hiding His Infidelity
Rumors of Odom’s drug use ran rampant and it was later confirmed by both Kardashian and Odom. in 2013, Kardashian filed for divorce. It was later revealed that Odom’s addiction and his infidelity caused their split.
Odom regrets the way he treated Kardashian. “I would probably say the first time I cheated on Khloe, I would never let that happen,” he told The Morning Hustle Show.
Luckily, the two remain on cordial terms whenever they do speak.
