Tristan Thompson Reportedly Paying Maralee Nichols $9,500 A Month For Son, 1, As They Settle Custody

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Tristan Thompson, 31, settled his paternity case with Maralee Nichols after their son Theo turned 1. The NBA star agreed to pay Maralee $9,500 per month in child support, according to TMZ. The outlet also reported that Tristan — who got Maralee pregnant while he was in a committed relationship with Khloe Kardashian, 38 — also covered some of Maralee’s lawyer fees. Maralee will reportedly have sole custody of Theo.

This paternity case has been playing out since Maralee gave birth to Tristan’s son on Dec. 3, 2021. A spokesperson previously told Us Weekly that Tristan wasn’t paying child support to Maralee, but in August an attorney for the professional athlete insisted that wasn’t true. Tristan “is paying, and has paid, child support to Ms. Nichols retroactive to the date she delivered the child,” the attorney said to Us Weekly.

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The news of Maralee’s pregnancy broke last winter thanks to court docs that revealed Maralee gave birth. Tristan waited a month until he admitted that the child was indeed his after taking a paternity test. At the time, the professional athlete took to Instagram Stories to announce the news. “I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son. I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately,” he wrote. Tristan also apologized to Khloe in his message, writing, “Khloé, you don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don’t deserve the way I have treated you over the years.”

Theo is Tristan’s third child. He shares 6-year-old son Prince with ex Jordan Craig and 4-year-old daughter True with Khloe. In July 2022, Tristan and Khloe welcomed their second child together, a son, via surrogate. Their baby boy was conceived before news of Tristan’s paternity scandal broke. “We can confirm True will have a sibling who was conceived in November,” Khloe’s rep told HollywoodLife in a statement. “Khloe is incredibly grateful to the extraordinary surrogate for such a beautiful blessing. We’d like to ask for kindness and privacy so that Khloe can focus on her family.”