Inside Taraji P. Henson's Relationship With Lamar Odom

Nowadays, Lamar Odom's name is synonymous with the Kardashians. In particular, Khloé, with whom he was involved in a tumultuous on-and-off relationship for many years. The couple tied the knot in 2009 and ultimately split in 2016, but their stories remain intertwined. However, the basketball legend dated another gorgeous, famous lady in a previous life in the form of Empire fan favorite, Taraji P. Henson.

As CheatSheet reports, Odom revealed in his 2019 memoir, Darkness to Light, that he and Henson "started secretly dating and quickly fell in love." Describing their short-lived but intense romance as "one of the happiest times of [his] life," Odom acknowledged the impact the Empire actress had on him. Rumors have swirled for years that the former basketball player dumped her for Kardashian, but now he's setting the record straight about what really happened between the two of them.

During an interview with TV One series Uncensored, Odom revealed, "I met Taraji at an HBO party ... and we hit it off right away ... I really, really, really, really started liking her." Looking back on their time together, the former NBA star admitted, "I just wish I would've done things different with her." Henson is nine years older than Odom, and he acknowledged having "learned a lot from her," describing the relationship as the "most significant" one he'd had as an adult with a Black woman.

He even shared, "I used to carry her picture on the road with me, nobody knew that." The Empire star inspired him by being just as good at her job as Odom was at his. Although Henson's career took off in a big way once she joined the show, the actress was still a big name at the time, too. Things didn't work out between the two because, as the former athlete noted, he was "an immature punk" who didn't know how to be honest about his feelings for Kardashian.