Paul Pierce contests $30,000 monthly child support request

Former NBA star Paul Pierce is contesting a request for nearly $30,000 per month in child support from his ex-partner, Princess Santiago, arguing his current and future income cannot support the amount. In court filings submitted in late July 2026, Pierce proposed a monthly payment of approximately $4,145 for their son, King, who was born on February 6, 2026.

The financial dispute, part of a broader custody case, has placed Pierce's post-retirement earnings under scrutiny. According to the filings, Pierce reported an income of about $1.5 million in 2025. However, he stated that a significant portion of that came from residual payments tied to his former role at Fox Sports 1, which ended in 2021. He expects those payments to cease in September 2026, reducing his income by nearly half.

Pierce outlined multiple revenue streams from the previous year, including approximately $1.5 million from Fox, $713,000 from a canceled show on the network, and hundreds of thousands from commissions, endorsements, and a YouTube basketball program. His average monthly earnings were reported as roughly $128,000 in 2025, climbing to about $165,000 per month in the first half of 2026. Despite these...