Ex-NBA Star Paul Pierce Tells Court He Is 'Drowning Financially' After Fox Sports Deal Ended, With About $48K in Monthly Support and Bills
Former NBA star Paul Pierce says in a new court filing that he is "drowning financially" after his Fox Sports contract was terminated, and is asking the court to reject a request by Princess Santiago, the mother of his young son, for $40,000 in legal fees and another $10,000 for a forensic accountant, TMZ reported on October 27. Pierce said his last Fox Sports check came in August; he had averaged about $119,000 a month, but said that income is now zero, and he earned only about $23,000 last month from partnership interests in other business ventures.
According to the filing, Pierce pays about $28,000 a month in child support and another $20,000 in spousal support, and spends about $48,000 a month on bills, including about $8,000 on childcare, $5,000 on groceries, $7,000 on eating out, $3,200 on utilities, $1,000 on clothes and $3,500 on entertainment. He said he has only about $300,000 in the bank and $3 million in property.
Pierce's attorney said in the filing that he would have "great difficulty" paying the additional fees since his Fox Sports contract was terminated, adding that he is "drowning financially" and having trouble keeping up with his monetary obligations. Santiago claimed Pierce was playing games with his financial records and wanted an expert to review his finances.
In September, a court ordered Pierce to pay Santiago $8,508 a month in temporary child support for their son and $100,000 in legal fees, TMZ previously reported. Pierce reportedly earned around $200 million during his NBA career.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Paul Pierce出席NBA 75周年庆典活动（2022年资料图）。照片：Erik Drost，CC BY 2.0，经维基共享资源。 / File photo: Paul Pierce at an NBA 75th anniversary event in 2022. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
