Lamar Odom hopes divorce from Khloe Kardashian won’t happen

Lamar Odom had some sweet words for his lady love Khloe Kardashian despite their split in December. And that whole divorce thing? Call him an eternal optimist, because he doesn’t seem to think it’s going to happen.

Odom, 34, who has been embroiled in rumors of infidelity and drug use, signed with Spanish basketball team Laboral Kutxa this week and addressed his love life with the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” starlet following a team press conference on Friday.

“I love my wife. She’ll always be my wife, no matter what,” the former Clippers and Lakers forward told Us Weekly. “Who knows? We don’t know exactly if [the divorce is going through]. Only time will tell. I hope not. But even if we were divorced, she would always be my wife.”

PHOTOS: Meet the Kardashians and their extended family

Last we checked, putting a whole ocean between man and wife could put a major strain on a relationship. Perhaps we should strap ourselves in for epic Kim Kardashian-Kris Humphries-style divorce proceedings?

Still, Odom continued to share adoration for his estranged wife and their marriage.

“Those were some of the best years of my life,” he continued. “Being married and being married to a woman I decided to marry was, besides having children, the most important thing in my life.”

PHOTOS: Celebrity splits of 2013

The couple has no children together, but Odom has two from previous relationships.

The youngest of the famous sisterly trio filed for divorce in December after four years of marriage following a spate of rumors swirling around Odom.

Their marital struggles have been documented on the Kardashians’ E! reality show, though the series has not specifically addressed their issues and skirted around the topic of Odom’s unusual behavior. On television, the fashionista is frequently seen fielding incoherent phone calls from the former NBA star and living with other family members rather than her love nest with Odom, which was put up for sale in January.

ALSO:

Christina Aguilera reportedly pregnant with baby No. 2

Sarah Hyland allegedly indecently groped in Sydney; man charged

Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green give 2nd baby boy a Buddhist name

Follow Ministry of Gossip @LATcelebs.