As much as the world loves to poke fun at Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband Kris Humphries, we suspect that after today, the Humps slander will come to and end … for a little while, anyway. Penning his own essay for The Players’ Tribune, the retired NBA star, 34, detailed how his short marriage (72 days, to be exact) to the KUWTK star, 38, changed his life forever.

“Look, I should have known what I was getting into. I was definitely naive about how much my life was going to change,” Kris admitted, “But the one thing that really bothers me is whenever people say that my marriage was fake.” Given just how quickly the pair ended things, fans suspected that their union was a mutual career-boosting opportunity. However, Kris is adamant that it was never about publicity.

Worst celeb breakups ever
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“There’s definitely a lot about that world that is not entirely real, but our actual relationship was 100 percent real,” he wrote. “When it was clear that it wasn’t working … what can I say? It sucked.” As for how Kris handled the attention? Er, not well, to say the least. “It’s never easy to go through the embarrassment of something like that — with your friends, with your family — but when it plays out so publicly, in front of the world, it’s a whole other level. It was brutal.”

The former reality TV regular went on to explain that even before he and Kim got divorced, audiences began to boo him at basketball games. “Do they think I was trying to be famous? Is it because they think I disrespected the game of basketball?” he recalled feeling at the time.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries sighting on October 19, 2011 in New York City.
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Naturally, all of the backlash lead to a feeling of isolation.  “I’ll be honest, I dealt with a lot of anxiety, especially in crowds. There was about a year where I was in a dark place. I didn’t want to leave my home. You feel like … I don’t know … the whole world hates you, but they don’t even know why. They don’t even know you at all. They just recognize your face, and they’re on you.”

Thankfully, Kris was able to bounce back from his 15 minutes of fame through the love of basketball and support of his family. Today, he owns 10 Five Guys franchises across the U.S. and is about to open seven Crisp & Green restaurants. Not too shabby, huh? After all, people gotta eat!

“I know that most people will always see me as ‘that f–king guy from TV,’ and I get it. I signed up for it. I don’t want any pity at all — but I hope that true fans of basketball remember me as a grinder, as a guy who transformed into a heck of a rebounder and as a guy who always tried to put the game in the best light.”