Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson: What We Know So Far (original) (raw)

After a few love false starts, Khloé Kardashian finally has her Prince Charming – NBA player Tristan Thompson.

With the announcement on Tuesday that the couple are going to be parents, it’s time to take a look back to where it all began.

HE’S VERY MUCH HER TYPE
From day one it was clear that the twenty-six-year-old Thompson had the sporting skills that in the past turned the reality’s star head. Thompson already has an impressive NBA career under his belt. Originally from Canada, he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011, and helped the team win its first NBA Championship in June. He also played for the Canadian national team this summer, although they didn’t qualify for the Olympics.

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THEIR LOVE WENT GLOBAL EARLY
A week after first being spotted out together in September 2016, the two celebrated Labor Day weekend together in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They were photographed fitting in some R&R on the beaches, but …

BUT THEY WERE TAKING THINGS SLOWLY – AT FIRST
Despite their tropical vacation, a source told PEOPLE at the time that they were a “mini-thing. They like each other and are hanging out.”

WE’RE NOT TOTALLY SURE WHEN IT STARTED …
It turns out that Thompson and Kardashian’s “mini-thing” has been going on since before their 2016 Labor Day getaway. “Khloé and Tristan have been seeing each other for a little bit,” a source told PEOPLE at the time. “He’s a really nice, good guy, and she seems very happy with him.”

… BUT HE QUICKLY EARNED KRIS JENNER’S SEAL OF APPROVAL
Looks like Khloé isn’t the only Kardashian that Thompson has won over: The reality star posted this super-cuddly photo on her Snapchat account, featuring a grinning Jenner. (And if Kris approves, then we do, too!)

THEY’RE ALL ABOUT THE PDA
They may have been keeping it casual in the fall, but these two were never shy about showing off how into each other they were from the start. In fact, things got very steamy when they attended Drake’s concert in L.A. in September, where they were spotted dancing and kissing in the audience.

Khloe Kardashian/Snapchat

HE GETS ALONG WITH HER FRIENDS, TOO
Everyone knows that all new relationships live or die by the best friend test — and luckily, it looks like Thompson has passed with flying colors. He and Kardashian were spotted out with her best friend, Malika Haqq, in September in West Hollywood, where the trio took in a comedy show.

In October, Haqq and her sister, Khadijah, gushed about Kardashian’s new love to PEOPLE. “He’s really nice to her,” Malika said. “He’s the coolest guy in the world — and you know, Khloé’s always loved basketball.”

THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS FILLED WITH ‘JOY AND LAUGHTER’
Their slow relationship quickly sped up to serious town as, just a month later, things between the two had taken a more serious turn. “I think — you know what, I think it’s the feeling. You know how people say it’s the look? It’s really cliché, but it just looks really good,” Malika told PEOPLE exclusively about Kardashian’s new relationship.

Her sister, Khadijah, added: “Not only do they look really good, I think it’s really special to find two people that there’s an element of joy and laughter that all of us are supposed to attain in relationships. And I don’t mean just male and female, but the fact that you can find that best friend aspect in your partner, that’s what it’s obviously about.”

Tristan Thompson and Khloé Kardashian. Source: Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

“And hard to find,” added Malika. “So, it’s nice to watch.”

THEY HAVE A LOT IN COMMON
“You know, they’re both very giving and very kind,” Malika told PEOPLE. “They take great care of their friends and their families. They love to enjoy themselves. They both work very hard. They have a lot of things in common, and they’re extremely supportive.”

“And when they’re together, they have fun,” Khadijah chimed in.

Seth Browarnik/Startraksphoto

SHE’S FOLLOWING HER HEART
The Haqq sisters told PEOPLE that they just want their best friend to be happy — and it seems as if Thompson is making her very happy indeed. “I think Khloé is really smart, in general, when it comes to relationships,” said Malika. “I think the stigma now is that she rushes, because she had rushed into her marriage, but she’s a lover.”

“She’s going to follow her heart always,” said Khadijah.

“And when you love genuinely, you get what you’re supposed to get out of that,” added Malika. “So, I think she’s just being smart, but I think she’s trusting love.”

Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

THEY’VE ALREADY GOT MATCHING JEWELRY
When you’re a Kardashian, there’s no better way to confirm that your new relationship is going strong than by showcasing your matching bling on Instagram. After flying out to Cleveland to watch Thompson receive his 2016 Cavaliers NBA Championship ring in October last year, Kardashian posted a photo of Thompson’s new bling … along with her own hand, which was sporting a stack of diamond-encrusted rings. And just to see the his-and-hers theme through, she accessorized them with a red-and-gold-patterned Cavaliers ring.

THEY’VE MADE IT INSTAGRAM OFFICIAL Just a few days after teasing fans with a picture of their matching rings, Kardashian finally made things Instagram official by posting a photo of the pair gazing deeply into each other’s eyes at a Halloween party. Kardashian, who was dressed as the X-Men character Storm, simply captioned the photo of her and her new beau (as Black Panther) with a heart emoji. And on the off-chance that you didn’t quite pick up on the meaning of that caption, Kardashian also posted quite a few steamy Snapchats of the couple, including one of them dancing and one of them making out in the middle of the party.

As we all know, once couples costumes are involved, things are definitely very serious.

THEY SPENT THE HOLIDAYS TOGETHER The next big step in any relationship (after matching outfits, obviously) is spending the holidays together. In November, Kardashian flew out to Cleveland in order to support Thompson at the Turkey Drive that he and teammate J.R. Smith hosted in order to give food to underprivileged families at the Greater Friendship Baptist Church.

Two months later, the happy couple rang in 2017 together, and Kardashian posted two very steamy photos of her and her beau partying the night away — and showing plenty of PDA in the process.

Around that time, a source close to the Kardashians told PEOPLE that the couple “are insanely happy and in love,” and added, “It’s a healthy relationship and they’re very serious about each other.”

DROPPING THE “L WORLD” In January, Kardashian wrote in a post on her website and app about how compatible she and Thompson are, based on their astrological signs. “A love match between a Cancer and a Pisces is a positive meeting of spirits,” the reading revealed. “Both signs are basically tolerant and sympathetic, and Pisces is easily energized by Cancer’s ideas.” In another post, she wrote about how peaceful she felt in her new relationship: “It’s such a great feeling that I have my happy back! It’s from a genuine place and the most peaceful place I’ve been in for longer than I can even remember.”

“I think when you’re in love you definitely feel happy and healthy too,” Kardashian continued. “I like that my relationship is very normal and doesn’t need to be so publicized all the time.”

In addition to referring to the Cavaliers star as “my love” on her Instagram, Kardashian gushed about Thompson during a January appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. “I feel like I’m spotting something different about you — this time you might be glowing!” said Corden, 38, hinting at the reality star’s romance. “You seem like somebody who may have found love recently?”

“I have!” said Kardashian, all smiles. “I am, I’m very happy. It’s going good. We use the L word!”

All jokes, aside, a source confirmed to PEOPLE later that month that things were very serious between the two. “She spends more time with Tristan in Cleveland than in L.A,” the source revealed. “She [is] of course thinking about the future. She hopes their relationship will have a future. Tristan makes her very happy.”

THEY MADE THEOR LOVE KUWTK OFFICIAL, TOO

In March, things became even more serious for Thompson, who appeared on the season 13 premiere of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, alongside his ladylove. However, during the episode, Kardashian attempted to shield her love from her family — in order to keep big sister, Kim, from finding out all the details. “So, I see pictures of Khloé with some NBA player, and even though I know not to believe everything on the internet, Khloé and a NBA player do go hand-in-hand,” Kim said on the show. “It’s my sister. Of course, I want to know who she’s hooking up with.”

“Kim’s my sister. I’m obviously going to tell her eventually,” Kardashian explained, as to why she wanted to keep things from her family. “But it’s fun to torture her. She’s tortured me my entire life, so I feel like this is the perfect time to drag this out as long as I possibly can.”

Eventually, Kardashian let her guard down and invited Thompson to accompany the family to Kanye West’s concert, knowing full well that her family would all be there — and that Kim would finally get her answers. Luckily, it seems like as long as Kardashian is happy, so are her sisters.

“I knew she was messing with me, but I’m just happy that she’s having a good time and starting a new relationship,” Kim, happy and satisfied, told the cameras. “He’s a little young, but I’m excited to tell Jonathan and, like, a couple of my friends!”

FROM COINAGE: The Lavish Lifestyle of the Kardashian Kids

SHE WANTS TO MARRY HIM — AND KNEW SHE WANTED TO START A FAMILY TOGETHER

Kardashian opened up in the April 13 issue of ES magazine, sharing that she’d say “yes” if Thompson proposed — and that they’d talked about having a family.

“He [already] is a father, and I know for a fact that he would be an impeccable father,” she said, noting that he and ex Jordan Craig welcomed a child in December. The Revenge Body star also sees kids in her future, although she doesn’t feel a big rush to make it happen. “I definitely want to be a mom. But I don’t put the pressure on it. It’s not like, ‘The clock is ticking,’ ” she said. “I feel in my soul it will happen.”

THEY EMBARK ON COOKING ADVENTURES

Khloe Kardashian/SnapChat

Another benefit of dating the NBA star? The reality star is coming out of her comfort zone. Kardashian cooked kidney for the first time in June with her boyfriend, and for someone that doesn’t eat meat, it was a harrowing experience.

“So when you are in love with someone that’s Jamaican, you do very strange things, and I’m about to make kidney for the first time,” Kardashian is heard saying on her Snapchat, where she documented every step of the unique meal’s prep.

THE KARDASHIAN CREW ARE ALL FANS

Gregory Shamus/Getty

Kris and Kourtney Kardashian as well as her kids, Mason, 7, and Penelope Disick, 4, were front and center supporting Khloé’s boyfriend of nearly one year. The Kardashian sisters were twinning, wearing leather leggings and proudly wearing Thompson’s gold #13 jerseys. Even Penelope donned Cavaliers colors in a yellow shirt. Momager Kris wore a bedazzled black and white sweater with black pants.

THEY’RE HOUSE HUNTING TOGETHER

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A source told PEOPLE that Kardashian is house hunting with the 26-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers player. According to the source, they’re not moving in together officially just yet, but Thompson (who has a home in Cleveland) is looking to rent a place in Los Angeles. “They live at Khloé’s Calabasas house right now,” said the source, explaining that Thompson is hoping to land a home closer to the downtown area. “He thinks the drive from Calabasas to L.A. is too far every day,” says the source. “When they go out in L.A., they want a second house that’s closer.”

As for Kardashian? She’s “just the happiest,” said the source close to the star. “She loves spending every day with Tristan.”

THEY JOIN KIM & KANYE ON ‘QUICK TRIPS’ TOGETHER

Kim Kardashian West and Khloé headed to the northern California city on July 22 with their respective loves, Kanye West and Tristan Thompson, and were sure to document the moments before the trip on Snapchat. “Quick Trip to San Fran,” Kardashian West wrote on a video of the jet. She showed off the red carpet leading to the aircraft’s stairs.

KHLOÉ IS IN NO RUSH TO GET MARRIED

“I’m in the best relationship I’ve ever been in and it doesn’t take a ring for me to feel that way,” Kardashian told YOU magazine, gushing about her beau while expressing that she’s happy with her relationship as-is. “I believe in marriage and I want to be married again one day but I don’t have a time frame. Why do people think that marriage equates to happiness? There are a lot of people in unhealthy marriages.”

… AND NOW THEY’RE EXPECTING!

Khloé is the third Kardashian-Jenner sibling to be expecting a child.

The baby will be the first child for Khloé. Thompson, 26, welcomed a son named Prince Oliver with his ex-girlfriend Jordan Craig in December 2016.

“Yes, Khloe and Tristan are expecting and they are absolutely thrilled,” a source tells PEOPLE. “This isn’t something they were in a rush to announce to the whole world, and it’s only been in just the past week or so that they’ve felt comfortable telling most of their inner circle. Things were complicated a bit by Kylie’s announcement as they don’t want to be seen as intruding on that moment for her but it is now reaching a point where Khloe doesn’t want to be openly lying to people, and just staying quiet isn’t going to work anymore.”

Adding, “This is something Khloe has wanted for years and years and yet it’s more than that: she didn’t want it unless she was in the right relationship for it. She never let it happen with Lamar, intentionally, and she never considered it with James or French or anyone else she has seen. But this is such a wonderful moment for her: not only is she going to be a mother, she is going to be raising a child with a man she truly loves. Everyone is over the moon for them both.”

Kardashian’s pregnancy comes days after sources confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday that Kylie Jenner is expecting a baby girl with her boyfriend Travis Scott. She is due in February.

Kim and husband Kanye West are expecting their third child after hiring a surrogate to help them expand their family.

News of Khloé’s first baby on the way comes months after she admitted on the show’s season 13 finale — following news that her uterus looked normal after an initial fertility scare leading her to cease taking birth control — that she and her boyfriend have “definitely [talked] about starting a family” together.