Kim Kardashian's 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries feels like it was a lifetime ago. In a way, it kind of was. The two were together for just a little over a year from 2010 to 2011. Still, the jokes about their whirlwind romance, over-the-top wedding, and messy divorce still linger nearly a decade later. Kim has put it in the past.
For Kris, things haven't been so easy. He decided to open up about his experience in Kim's world and the fallout after it ended.
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In 2019 he penned an essay for The Players' Tribune, discussing his early life, his time as Kim's husband, and how it all felt when the smoke cleared. For those who don't know a whole lot about Kris as a basketball player, it's an illuminating look into his career. For those who know him only as Kim's ex, it's an interesting look at the anxiety that comes from falling off a pedestal you never asked to be put on.
Before he was ever involved with Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries was a pure athlete. He lived and breathed swimming before making the transition to basketball.
For 13 years, Kris worked hard for his place in the NBA. He played for eight different teams during that time.
Kris opened up about finding his way in the league in an essay for The Players' Tribune. He discussed how he worked his way from being a cocky kid to a grinder.
Kris also opened up about another big struggle in his life: his whirlwind relationship with Kim Kardashian.
Thanks to Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Kourtney and Kim Take New York, fans got a good look into the dynamic between Kris and Kim. Let's say things weren't always that great.
The two had very different ideas of their future together from the start. While Kim wanted to continue her rise to the top, Kris wanted her to settle into oblivion and have some kids with him in Minnesota.
Despite being in the NBA, Kris had no idea what level of exposure to expect from being part of the Kardashian clan. The show was big, the coverage was incessant, and Kris was overwhelmed.
Kris thought that once he and Kim settled down, they'd have a more down-to-earth lifestyle. He recognizes the error in that thinking now, saying, "Look, I should have known what I was getting into. I was definitely naive about how much my life was going to change."
The one thing that he hates most is when people assume the relationship was fake. He insists that everything between him and Kim was very real.
Just like any real relationship, they tried to make things work. It was hard for Kris when he realized that it wasn't happening.
"It’s never easy to go through the embarrassment of something like that — with your friends, with your family," he explained. "But when it plays out so publicly, in front of the world, it’s a whole other level. It was brutal."
After he and Kim split, he grappled with a lot of disdain from the public.
"I remember having this moment when I was getting booed so hard in Philly, and I thought to myself, 'Why exactly are they booing me, though? Is it just because I’m That Guy from TV?'" he recalled.
Kris said all the attention, first chaotic and later negative, took a toll on him. He dealt with anxiety and isolation in the first year after it happened.
At his lowest point, Kris hated being himself. He wrote: "It’s the craziest feeling in the world, not wanting to be yourself. And I didn’t even want to say anything to defend myself, because it felt like I couldn’t win. You can’t go up against the tabloids. You can’t go up against that machine. There’s no point."
Kris is now retired from the NBA after a 13-year career. He's moving on to the next phase of his life, and it seems he's come to terms with what happened between him and Kim in a healthier way than before.
