Paul Pierce Claims TV Pay Loss Strained His Finances

Paul Pierce said his lost TV income left him struggling with support bills in his custody fight with former girlfriend Princess Santiago.

TMZ said Pierce listed $300,000 in cash, $3 million in property, $23,000 in business income last month and $48,000 in monthly bills.

He claimed $48,000 in monthly support and opposed $40,000 for Santiago’s lawyers plus $10,000 for an accountant, TMZ reported separately.

Pierce listed earlier monthly income of $119,000 and said his final Fox Sports payment arrived in August, PEOPLE reported.

“Having lost his Fox Sports contract, while simultaneously facing these substantial financial obligations, Respondent is drowning financially,” his lawyer wrote.

EssentiallySports reported that Pierce posted “Cap” on X amid the reports, without explaining which financial figure he disputed.

The money fight followed competing custody requests for their infant son, King Rafael Santiago Pierce. Us Weekly reviewed the court documents in April in which Pierce acknowledged paternity and sought joint custody of the baby. Santiago had asked for sole legal and physical custody, along with $29,811 each month in child support.

She also sought $100,000 for legal fees and close to $19,000 in pregnancy-related costs. Santiago, an event director in Los Angeles, argued that Pierce’s endorsement money had once covered his spending without him needing to touch his NBA salary. Her filing pointed to his own public description of those earnings to support her request. She put his career NBA salary alone at between $195 million and $203 million.

She sought health insurance for King at Pierce’s expense.

His television work had changed well before the latest financial filing. Fox Sports canceled “Speak,” the show on which Pierce appeared, in July 2025. Front Office Sports confirmed that the cuts also took out “Breakfast Ball” and “The Facility.” Three of the network’s five daily shows ended in that shake-up.

Santiago had first sought a DNA test in January, saying she had tried to settle the matter privately. She later said she went through the pregnancy without financial help or an in-person visit from Pierce. By April, the court filings showed he was seeking a shared role in raising King.