Lamar Odom has something he wants the world to know about Khloé Kardashian. She showed up for him when she did not have to.
The former NBA star sat down with Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones on TODAY to promote his new Netflix documentary “Untold: The Death and Life of Lamar Odom.” The conversation quickly turned to the woman who stood by his side through the darkest chapter of his life. Odom, 46, spoke about their complicated history with honesty, gratitude and a clear-eyed understanding of where things stand today.
“I will always have love for her,” he told the TODAY hosts. “But being in love with her? No.”
A Love Story Nobody Could Have Scripted
GettyOdom and Khloé Kardashian met in August 2009 and married just 30 days later, shocking the world with the speed of their commitment. “When you know, you know, I guess,” Odom reflected on TODAY. Kris Jenner pulled together a beautiful wedding in a matter of days and the couple seemed destined for a fairy tale.
The reality proved far more complicated. Khloé filed for divorce in 2013 after years of struggle. Then in 2015, Odom suffered a near-fatal overdose and fell into a coma, experiencing 12 strokes and six heart attacks. Khloé, who had already filed for divorce, made a decision that spoke volumes about her character. She stayed. For four months she never left his side.
“She took care of me,” Odom said on TODAY. “God took care of me the most. What I came back from was like a medical miracle. When I woke up, I couldn’t even walk or talk. I just buckled down and said my prayers and stayed close to God.”
Khloé finalized their divorce in 2016 once Odom recovered his health. The two did not speak for nearly a decade after that.
The Reunion That Brought Everything Back
GettyKhloé reached out to Odom for the first time in nine years in February 2025, wanting to return some of his belongings including his mother’s driver’s license, his wedding bands and his NBA Sixth Man of the Year award from his championship years with the Los Angeles Lakers. The reunion aired on the Season 6 premiere of “The Kardashians” on Hulu. It became one of the most talked-about moments of that season.
Fans who remember just how deeply Khloé carried the weight of that marriage understand exactly why seeing him again after nearly a decade was so emotionally loaded. Khloé later opened up about the experience on her podcast. “That was so emotionally draining for me,” she said, per OK! Magazine. “It was sad because he was so strange to me. I didn’t know him, but yet I knew him so well.”
Odom’s own reflection was equally candid. He told TODAY the reunion “wasn’t really good for me” but added immediately, “once you’re family, you’re always family, so she ain’t going nowhere.”
The Netflix documentary “Untold: The Death and Life of Lamar Odom” brings this entire story to a new audience, featuring exclusive interviews and firsthand testimonies from Odom, Khloé and others close to the situation. The film chronicles Odom’s 14-year NBA career, two championships with the Lakers and the deeply personal battle that nearly ended his life. It streams now on Netflix.
