James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at FTX Arena on May 10, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • James Harden said Khloe Kardashian is a great person
  • The NBA player said Kardashian is one of the people he wants to see succeed
  • Harden preferred keeping his personal stuff private because it lasts longer that way

James Harden had kind words to say about his ex-girlfriend, Khloe Kardashian.

Harden, 33, spoke with Us Weekly on March 9 to promote his new J-Harden prosecco, and he recounted his romance with the "Kardashians" star during the interview. The Philadelphia 76ers guard had nothing but kind words for the "Revenge Body" star.

"She's one of those people where no matter if you're dating or not, you want to see them succeed," the basketball player said. "You wanna see them happy, so I'm just happy she's in a good place."

Harden and Kardashian, 38, dated for eight months before they split in 2016. She later moved on with Tristan Thompson, with whom she shares two children — daughter True, 4, and a 7-month-old son.

"She's a great person," Harden added about Kardashian.

The former Brooklyn Nets player had talked about their brief romance after their split in a previous interview with Sports Illustrated in 2017. Harden admitted that he wasn't thrilled with "all the attention" he was getting while dating a Kardashian.

"I didn't like all the attention. I feel like it was for no reason," he told the outlet. "I wasn't getting anything out of it except my name out there and my face out there, and I don't need that. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't me. 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."

The Olympic gold medalist has kept his personal life private, and he intends to keep things that way.

"It's better that way," he told Us Weekly. "Keep it to yourself. Keep it quiet. Things last longer that way."

Meanwhile, Kardashian raised eyebrows after her sweet birthday tribute to Thompson for his 32nd birthday. Many argued with the Good American founder when she called her baby daddy "the best father, brother & uncle."

"Not Khloe Kardashian calling Tristan Thompson the 'best father' when he literally abandoned his other son that he has with Maralee Nichols," one person tweeted.

"Tristan Thompson does his bare minimum duty as a father, and Khloe Kardashian is like 'world's best dad.' Girl, after all the s--t he put you through? Shut up," another person opined.

Some speculated that Kardashian was open to reconciling with Thompson again, and she was trying to persuade the people to accept him again by feeding them with good stories about him following his history of cheating and paternity scandals.

"You can still co-parent without a birthday post. If you want him back, just say that. Tristan is not a good father or boyfriend. A good dad takes care of ALL his children regardless of the relationship with the mother," one person commented.

"Khloe, stop trying to change the ending with him. Pumping up the positive is just trying to control the story... Stop trying to create a new end or make it a different story," another added.

Khloe Kardashian
Khloe Kardashian attends the NBCUniversal 2017 Upfront on May 15, 2017 in New York City. Getty Images/Angela Weiss