If Lamar Odom were to have his way, the pending divorce with reality TV starlet Khloé Kardashian wouldn't go through... because in a recent interview, he claimed that the Keeping up with the Kardashians star will always be his wife, no matter the outcome of the divorce! 

According to The Los Angeles Times, the former basketball free agent -- who has now signed with the Spanish basketball team Laboral Kuxta -- was asked about the status of his relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife during a team press conference, and the response was telling. "I love my wife. She'll always be my wife, no matter what. 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," he said.

And, of course, being an ocean away from your significant other is a GREAT way to repair your relationship, isn't it? 

Of course, if you ask me, this is yet another "story line" for Keeping Up With The Kardashians and, barring an act of God, there's no way you can convince me of otherwise. (Yes, I do believe they're getting divorced. No, I don't believe it's for any other reason than "ratings.")

Meanwhile, according to Us Weekly, the gushing about Khloé didn't stop there -- Lamar went on to say that he was ever-so-grateful that he married her in the first place. "Those were some of the best years of my life," he said. "Being married and being married to a woman I decided to marry was, besides having children (from his previous relationship), the most important thing in my life."

Odom played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams before being drafted in the first round with the fourth overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1999 NBA Draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team and played four seasons with the Clippers. He signed as a restricted free agent with Miami Heat, where he played one season before being traded to the Lakers. Odom spent seven seasons with the Lakers, who traded him to Dallas. He was traded back to the Clippers in 2012.