Celebrity News

Kim K. courted Knicks player before Nets’ Humphries

Before Kim Kardashian met Kris Humphries, she allegedly had her eye on another NBA player, former Knicks hoopster Danilo Gallinari. And, according to website Wetpaint.com, Kardashian specifically was in the hunt for a piece of arm candy from the NBA.

Kardashian was so eager to land a basketball player, the site says, that she had producers at E!, the home of her reality shows, contact NBA teams about potential beaus. Sources say that producers at the network called the Knicks to find out if the team’s handsome Italian import, Gallinari, was single.

“They asked if he would be interested in dating her and being on a reality show,” a source told the site. “Danilo said he would love to meet Kim but was not interested in dating her or being on a reality show … Even though E! explained it would be great for his career, Gallinari turned the offer down.”

Kardashian reportedly wanted a New York sports star to date to coincide with the debut of her series “Kourtney & Kim Take New York” in January. Apparently she settled on the Tri-State area and Nets player Humphries. The pair started dating in December 2010.

Gallinari played for the Knicks from 2008 until he was traded to the Denver Nuggets during last season.

Kardashian previously said she met Humphries at a basketball game with a friend, and she noted to her pal that the NBA player was attractive. Kim’s friend then set up a group dinner, the story goes, with Kardashian, Humphries, another Nets player and herself.

Humphries’ Nets teammate, Jordan Farmar, has said he was the Nets player on the double date, and he’s taken credit for getting Kardashian and Humphries together.

“I introduced them in New York and they have come a long way since,” Farmar told Us Weekly. “They both fit each other. He is a good kid. He is from the country … So he kind of slows it down, and she is fast paced and has a lot of stuff going on, so they kind of balance each other out.”

Kardashian and Humphries have recently begun putting up a united front as rumors swirl that their marriage is on the rocks. The two went to dinner last night at Izakaya Restaurant in Los Angeles.