Cheering him on. Khloé Kardashian knows that Tristan Thompson‘s big move will be not only be good for his career but their family.
“Khloé couldn’t be more thrilled for Tristan now that he’s joined the Lakers,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
It was announced that the NBA player, 32, was moving from the Chicago Bulls to the California team on Sunday, April 9. “OFFICIAL: Tristan Thompson and Shaquille Harrison are Los Angeles Lakers,” read a caption on the team’s official Instagram. Kardashian, 38, dropped a “like” on the announcement, seemingly approving of the acquisition.
Donning the iconic yellow and purple jersey “has been a dream of his,” but the insider says the Good American founder believes the move will help his bonds with their daughter, True — who turns 5 on Wednesday, April 12 — and their 8-month-old son, whose name has yet to be revealed.
“He’ll be in LA much more often so he can be closer to his kids and spend even more time with them,” the source tells Us. “She’s so proud of him and all the hard work he’s done which has led up to this huge accomplishment.”
Prior to his professional relocation, Thompson recently bought a house to be closer to Kardashian and their two children. (He is also the father of son Prince, 6, whom he coparents with ex Jordan Craig, and son Theo, 15 months, whom he shares with Maralee Nichols.)
“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.”
The pair were first romantically linked in 2016 but faced several cheating scandals on the Canada native’s part during their on and off romance. They called it quits for good in late 2021 when Kardashian learned that Thompson was being sued for child support by Nichols, who said the athlete got her pregnant in March 2021 when he was still dating the Strong Looks Better naked author. Theo was born the following December, and a DNA test later confirmed that Thompson is the father.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum later revealed that the news of the paternity suit broke just weeks after she and Thompson learned their surrogate was pregnant with their second child. Their son was born in July 2022.
The basketball player pays child support but is otherwise largely uninvolved in Theo’s life, insiders tell Us. “He hasn’t met Theo nor has he initiated any meetings,” a source shared in June 2022. “He doesn’t have any immediate plans to meet his son face to face.”
Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
Reporting by Sarah Jones