Stating the facts. After Maralee Nichols and Tristan Thompson’s son’s birth certificate surfaced, the fitness model is clearing up why the NBA player’s name is noticeably missing from the legal document.
“Tristan’s name was not on the birth certificate because he was not present at Theo’s birth,” Nichols told Us Weekly in a statement after E! News published name details on Wednesday, February 23. The 2-month-old’s last name, however, is listed as Thompson.
The Texas native also opened up about why she picked the name Theo.
“Theo, my little angel baby. I named you Theo because it means, ‘Gift from God,’” she told Us. “I had never been pregnant and had been told I might not be able to have children. I couldn’t believe I was pregnant, when I saw you on the ultrasound and heard your little heartbeat I knew I would always protect you and keep you safe. I love you more than you’ll ever know. You bring such joy and happiness into my life. My greatest blessing.”
Shortly after she released her statement, Nichols noted that Theo nearly had a slightly different name.
“I almost named my son Teddy after my father who passed away four years ago,” she wrote via Instagram on Wednesday. “One of the reasons I chose Theo is because Teddy and Theo are both short for Theodore and it reminded me of my father.”
Us broke the news in December 2021 that Nichols had given birth. She went into labor days after the news broke that she had filed a paternity suit against Thompson in June 2021, claiming they had sex in March 2021 — when he was in a relationship with Khloé Kardashian. After the results of a paternity test revealed that the basketball pro was indeed the father, Thompson claimed he was going to “take full responsibility” and “amicably” raise his son with Nichols.
“I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately,” he wrote last month via Instagram Stories. “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.”
While Kardashian, who shares 3-year-old daughter True with Thompson, has stayed mostly mum on the scandal, Nichols has called out the athlete for allegedly not following through with his plans to see Theo.
“He has not made any attempt to meet their son nor has he provided any financial assistance,” she said in a statement on February 14.
Nichols later told Us that she is the “sole caretaker” for her baby boy: “I will do everything in my power to make sure he is provided for. I will be the best mommy I can be. I love playing with him and making him laugh. He has the cutest smile and is always so happy. I also love reading to him and rocking him to sleep. He is so cuddly.”
Thompson, who is also the father of 5-year-old son Prince, has yet to publicly respond to Nichols’ statements.
