Paul Pierce in legal battle with ex over $30,000 a month child support payments

Earlier this year, basketball legend and NBA Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce found himself in muddy waters. A recent paternity test resulted in Pierce accepting his fatherhood of Princess Santiago’s few-month-old baby.

A paternity lawsuit was filed in Jan. 2026 by Princess Santiago, who is an event director in Los Angeles, against the 48-year-old Pierce. She claimed the NBA veteran was the father of her baby and asked for a DNA test to confirm. Shortly after, TMZ reported that Pierce admitted to being the biological father of the baby. The report also claimed that he had filed for joint legal and physical custody.

As per reports by TMZ, Pierce admitted to being the biological father of the two-month-old baby. The report also claimed that he filed for joint legal and physical custody. In Apr. 2026, Princess Santiago bounced back with an updated request that included nearly $30,000 per month in child support payments. The filings also declared that she wanted sole legal and physical custody of her baby as well as an additional $100,000 to cover her legal costs.

TMZ now reports that Pierce is contesting Princess Santiago’s request for $30,000 in monthly child support, claiming that his income is set to significantly drop this year. Pierce filed court documents opposing his ex’s request for the monthly child support payment as well as the $100K for legal fees.

Paul’s filing claimed that he hasn’t played in the NBA since 2017 and his earnings have decreased. The veteran mentioned that he does not currently earn as much as he used to during his playing days. He earned more than $200 million during his career.

Pierce mentioned that he will receive payments from the network until Sept. 2026, following which his income will be “reduced by nearly one-half.” His reported income for 2025 was $1.5 million.

More details on Paul Pierce’s legal battle with Princess Santiago

The retired NBA player mentioned that he also has “substantial ongoing financial obligations,” such as supporting four other children. Each month, he provides $20,000 in spousal support and $24,000 in child support. In his paperwork, Paul mentioned that he is willing to provide support to Princess for their newborn King Pierce.

He further claimed in his paperwork that he had been voluntarily paying $5000 in child support every month. He also pointed out that his ex, Princess Santiago, earns $400K per month and does not have limited financial resources as she claims. The NBA legend proposed to pay $4,145 per month in support, which is quite a low number when compared to the one demanded by Princess Santiago. It was also mentioned that Princess Santiago texts Pierce long messages about random topics as well as harasses his girlfriend.

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