Making moves! Shortly after Tristan Thompson purchased a new residence nearby ex-girlfriend Khloé Kardashian’s pad, he inked a deal to swap basketball teams too.
“OFFICIAL: Tristan Thompson is a Los Angeles Laker,” a post from the California-based team read on Twitter on Sunday, April 9, confirming an ESPN report that the 32-year-old Canada native signed a contract.
News of Thompson’s acquisition to the Lakers comes weeks after Us Weekly confirmed he moved into a Hidden Hills mansion near Kardashian’s residence with their two children. The Good American founder, 38, and Thompson share daughter True, 4, and a baby boy, 8 months.
“Khloé and Tristan live .2 miles away from each other in Hidden Hills,” a source exclusively told Us earlier this month. “Tristan is thrilled about having his own place so close to Khloé so he can visit her and the kids as often as possible.”
While the basketball forward may hope that being close to two of his children — he also shares sons with Jordan Craig and Maralee Nichols, respectively — could help win back Kardashian following their 2021 split, the reality TV star has moved on.
“He knows they’re always going to be in each other’s lives because of their children. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been trying,” the insider added to Us in April. “At this point, he feels like all he can do is be the best father to their kids that he can and show Khloé over time that he’s there for their family. He is so happy he was able to find a home right around the corner from them because they’re his priority. He just wants to be there for his kids.”
The Kardashians star and Thompson dated on and off between 2016 and 2021, calling it quits for good after his cheating and paternity scandal. Nichols, 31, sued the basketball player in 2021 for child support, claiming he fathered her son, Theo, while he was still dating Kardashian. The fitness trainer gave birth to Theo later that December, one month after the Revenge Body alum and Thompson did an embryo transfer with their surrogate to conceive baby No. 2. Their second child, a baby boy, arrived in July 2022. The proud parents have yet to reveal his name, though they have shared that it starts with a “T” like Thompson and True’s monikers.
In his professional life, Thompson first entered the NBA draft in June 2011, where he was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After nine years with the Ohio team, Thompson moved on to shorter contracts with several teams, including the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls.
