Over the past several years, Tristan Thompson has been at the center of some of the Kardashian-Jenner family’s most buzzed-about drama. The NBA player, who dated Khloé Kardashian for several years, was caught up in a number of highly publicized cheating scandals. The latest occurred earlier this year when a paternity test revealed that Thompson had fathered a child with Maralee Nichols in 2021. The fallout was significant (and highlighted during the Season 1 finale of The Kardashians). Now, months later, the former Cleveland Cavalier has settled financial matters with Nichols, and he’ll reportedly be shelling out a whopping amount of money in child support.
The paternity settlement agreement between Tristan Thompson and Maralee Nichols was reportedly filed in a Los Angeles court on Friday. As part of the terms, the NBA champion will be required to pay the mother of his child $9,500 in child support per month, per ET. Thompson will also cover the costs when it comes to some of Nichols’ legal expenses. Nichols will apparently also have sole custody of their child, 1-year-old son Theo, and a visitation schedule has reportedly not been decided upon as of this writing.
Most would probably agree that’s a hefty sum of cash that the 31-year-old professional athlete is going to have to pay. While his baby mother has not publicly commented on the legal agreement, one would think she’s pleased that things are finally settled. That’s because earlier this year, she shared some blunt thoughts about the apparent lack of support her son had received from his famous father.
Maralee Nichols called out Tristan Thompson in February, claiming that he had “done nothing to support their son” and had not “provided any financial assistance.” She also asserted that at the time, he’d “made any attempt to meet their son.” These sentiments came shortly after Thompson himself penned a message about the paternity test reveal. The star said that he was taking “full responsibility” and that he looked forward to “amicably raising our son.”
Despite that declaration, things still seemed to be somewhat uneasy between him and Khloé Kardashian, with whom he shares 4-year-old daughter True. The reality TV star has since spoken out about Tristan Thompson’s infidelities and how she had to learn to “un-love” him. However, some common ground was eventually reached, as Kardashian and Thompson welcomed a second baby, a boy, via surrogacy in 2022. Kardashian currently has full custody of that child.
These days, the former NBA Top 10 draft pick has been somewhat reflective. He took to social media in August to pen a message about getting “wiser,” though he didn’t explicitly mention his cheating scandals. I suppose one could ultimately view this recent legal agreement with Maralee Nichols as an attempt to rectify past decisions. But ultimately, only time will tell how he continues to navigate his responsibilities to his children and their respective mothers.
You can watch the paternity drama play out by streaming past episodes of The Kardashians using a Hulu subscription. Be sure to keep your eyes on the 2023 TV schedule as well so you’ll know when to expect the third season’s premiere.
