Minnesota's Kris Humphries retires from NBA, opens up about difficulties after divorcing Kim Kardashian
After 13 years in the NBA, Kris Humphries is retired.
The former Minnesota Mr. Basketball winner from Hopkins made his announcement in a column for The Players' Tribune, and he opened a vein about the challenges he faced as a player in the best league in the world and what it was like being "that guy" after his highly publicized divorce from Kim Kardashian.
Humphries described himself as a "cocky little punk" growing up as a swimming and basketball star in Minnesota, admitting that he remained a "cocky little punk" through college into his rookie season in the NBA, when his agent finally told him that nobody liked him.
That's when Humphries says he started focusing on being a ferocious rebounder and defender, which he credits for saving his career from an early ending.
All the while, Humphries fell in love with Kardashian and married her, only to file for divorce 72 days later. He said having the spotlight on him during and after the divorce was, and still is, "brutal."
"There’s definitely a lot about that world that is not entirely real. But our actual relationship was 100% real. When it was clear that it wasn’t working … what can I say? It sucked. It’s never easy to go through the embarrassment of something like that — with your friends, with your family…. But when it plays out so publicly, in front of the world, it’s a whole other level. It was brutal."
Humphries said he was booed so loudly that he can remember NBA arenas shaking.
"My whole life, I was a really confident, happy person. But nothing can prepare you for the feeling of walking down the street, or being anywhere, really — the grocery store, the gas station — and having people literally running up on you and trying to film you, trying to grab you, saying God knows what.
That’s not natural. That’s not supposed to be real life."
His anxiety got so bad that he no longer wanted to be himself, describing it as the "craziest feeling in the world, not wanting to be yourself."
Humphries played one season with the Gophers, averaging 21.7 points and 10.1 rebounds, before getting drafted 14th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2004 NBA Draft. In his 13 seasons he played for the Jazz, Mavericks, Raptors, Nets, Celtics, Wizards, Suns and Hawks.
His best seasons were from 2010-12 with the Nets, when he averaged a double-double, including 13.8 points and 11 rebounds per game as a 25 year old during the 2011-12 season.
Humphries says he's now into opening restaurants, having already franchised 10 Five Guys with plans to soon open seven Crisp & Green franchises in the Midwest.
