Keeping Up.

Is Kendall Jenner Dating The Newest Member Of The Mavericks? Uh, Let's Hope Not.

Loathe them or love them, you absolutely at least know who the Kardashian women are. Who doesn't? Listen: If you don't have a very guilty and somewhat unhealthy obsession with them, then there's probably a better-than-zero chance that you despise them with every fiber of your being.

Either way, it's cool — and natural, really.

Fact is, the Kardashian name is everywhere — on your TV, in your girlfriends' closets, in every corner of the internet and in just about every gossip or news media outlet imaginable.

So, that said, you've likely by now heard that 18-year-old Kendall Jenner — younger half-sibling to noted sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney — has shown some amorous tendencies toward new 25-year-old Dallas Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons.

It's rumored that mama Kris Jenner set them up, but there's always the chance that Kendall is just following in the footsteps of her big sisters, as it's no secret the Kardashians have long had a thing for Dallas athletes.

We give all credit to Khloe, who started the trend. She allegedly didn't even like Lamar Odom at their first encounter in 2009. But she couldn't rebuff his athletic charm for long, and soon enough the love birds took their toll. The two were married nearly only a month after dating and things were just as magical as a Kardashian could pay dream for.

Meanwhile, her big sis Kim spent four months of — who knows what to call it… lust? — with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin. Whatever. They were pretty much an irrelevant item, because, within just three months, she was on to the next one — Dallas Mavericks castoff and then-current New Jersey Nets power forward Kris Humpries. After a $10 million wedding, a TV special and 72 days of marriage, she then called it all off.

Now, here's the thing: There's a legitimate argument to be made that dating a Kardashian is bad, bad, bad news for Dallas athletes.

Lamar Odom went from the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year with the Lakers to a player that could barely earn any time on the court with the Mavs. These days, he's a drug-abusing, drunk-driving has-been. Austin's productivity too declined post-Kardashian: He posted 12 fewer receptions, 300 fewer yards, nine fewer first downs and four fewer touchdowns in 2010 than he did in the year before he was linked with the Kardashians. Of course, things only got worse from there for Austin, who played only 11 games and scored all of zero touchdowns last season before being cut by the Cowboys. Humphries, meanwhile, suffered a similar fate, posting career-low numbers in the season following his separation from Kim.

So maybe it's for the best that Parsons isn't exactly quick to fess up to the alleged union between him and Jenner? On Thursday night, Parsons flat-out denied any relationship when he appeared on Chelsea Lately and was asked about those prospects by host Chelsea Handler.

So, yeah, there's a chance that all these rumors we're hearing about a Kendall-Chandler romance are are just that. Maybe the two aren't an item.

All we know is this: Parsons is coming off his best professional basketball season ever, having averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists per game for the Houston Rockets last year. And the Mavs aren't the only ones hoping their young star can stay focused this season.

Now, can we outright prove that the Kardashian women are the succubi that they appear to be for Dallas sports? No. We can't. Not unequivocally. But the stats are fairly damning.

So, for now, let's just say this as we watch on from the sidelines: Keep your eyes on the real prize, Chandler.