It was in January when Paul Pierce was hit with a paternity lawsuit. At first, the former NBA champion remained silent, but in April acknowledged he was the father of Princess Santiago’s son. That acknowledgment for the Boston Celtics legend comes with additional payments in child support and legal fees, which he wants reduced.

“Ex-NBA star Paul Pierce is fighting his ex Princess Santiago’s plea for a massive monthly child support check — claiming his income is about to drop drastically this year,” TMZ reported. “Paul filed court docs opposing his ex’s request for $30K per month in child support, plus another $100K for legal fees in the case.”

Playing in the NBA for 19 seasons, Paul Pierce reported earning about $200 million from the league, but he claimed his current status is not the same. The 48-year-old’s reported earnings were approximately $1.5 million in 2025; they are now set to be cut nearly in half. He noted that his residual payments from Fox Sports 1 (FS1) are scheduled to end completely in September 2026.

Paul Pierce also claimed that he was already paying $44,000 per month in separate domestic obligations. This includes $24,000 a month in child support for his other four children and $20,000 a month in spousal support.

That’s why the Celtics legend is urging a reduction of Santiago’s plea. The Truth also stated that he is voluntarily paying Santiago $5,000 per month, further disputing her claim of limited financial resources.

Pierce pointed out that Santiago is a Los Angeles-based event planner who reportedly makes more than $400,000 annually, as this saga began early this year. In January, she was pregnant with King and sought DNA testing to establish paternity. She later asked for sole custody of the child and nearly $30K per month in child support.

In April, Paul admitted he was King’s biological father in court filings and requested joint legal and physical custody. But their controversy had another chapter when Pierce was accused of being absent.

Paul Pierce’s Father’s Day celebration turned sour

In June, Paul shared a post featuring four of his other children to celebrate Father’s Day. But the youngest son, King, who is shared with Santiago, was missing. In fact, she added multiple stories accusing the Celtics legend of absenteeism.

“He’s probably been waiting for me to crash out… so here goes. I had enough! My son’s father, Paul Pierce, proudly posted photos of his four children on Father’s Day, yet didn’t bother to ask to see his newborn son, King, on his very first Father’s Day. King is almost 5 months old and has only been seen by his father twice. Actions speak louder than social media posts. Happy Father’s Day, Paul.”

There was no reply from Paul Pierce then, and he has largely been silent on these issues. The former champion’s statements are only from the court documents, and his recent stance is to reduce the monthly child support ask from Santiago.