Still On Khloe! Why James Harden Ended Romance With Her

NBA star James Harden enjoyed an eight-month romance with reality star Khloe Kardashian in 2015 during what he now refers to as the 'worst year' of his life.

The bearded pro athlete, 27, was plagued by fitness issues, his team the Houston Rockets were on a losing streak and on top if it all he had to deal with unrelenting attention from the paparazzi because of his famous girlfriend.

'I didn’t like all the attention,' he told Sports Illustrated in a candid interview published online on
Tuesday. I feel like it was for no reason. I wasn’t getting anything out of it except my name out there and my face out there, and I don’t need that,' he explained. 'It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t me.'

While he never mentions Kardashian by name, he recalls the moment when it dawned on him that there were too many distractions pulling him away from what should be his main focus: his game.

He was arriving at a hotel in Miami with his teammates after flying in from Houston and was met by a crowd of photographers all jostling to snap pictures of him.

It turned out to be a wake up call.

By early February 2016,Harden and Kardashian had broken up.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, 32, who is now divorced from former LA Lakers star Lamar Odom, moved on a short time later to Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson, 25.

'I don’t need pictures of myself when I’m driving my car. Who cares? What shoes am I wearing?

Who cares? Where am I eating? Who cares? It was unnecessary stuff that I think trickled down to my teammates. I had to eliminate that,' Harden revealed to SI.