Tristan Thompson is a dad again. The 30-year-old NBA star confirmed that is the father of Maralee Nichols‘ baby amid her child support lawsuit against him.
“Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols. I take full responsibility for my actions,” he wrote via Instagram Stories on Monday, January 3. “Now that paternity has been established I look forward to amicably raising our son.”
The athlete continued, “I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately.
A second text post was shared via his Instagram Story with an apology dedicated solely to Khloé Kardashian.
“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,” he shared. “My actions certainly have not lined up with the way I view you. I have the utmost respect and love for you. Regardless of what you may think. Again, I am so incredibly sorry.
The news comes after Us Weekly exclusively revealed that Nichols gave birth on Wednesday, December 1.
The Sacramento Kings player also shares 5-year-old son Prince with former girlfriend Jordan Craig. He welcomed a daughter, True, with ex Khloé Kardashian in April 2018.
In the months leading up to his third child’s birth, Thompson was involved in a paternity suit that led to an ongoing court battle between him and Nichols.
The fitness instructor sued the professional athlete for child support, accusing him of not paying for a May doctor’s appointment, according to court documents obtained by Us on Friday, December 3.
Thompson filed documents of his own in July in Houston, where Nichols was based at the time. (She now lives in California.) One month later, an alleged text message received by Nichols from the former Boston Celtic was presented to the court.
“You know how I feel. My feelings haven’t changed at all. [I] won’t be involved at all,” the exchange read, per a screenshot submitted in an August filing. “Btw if you think having this baby is gonna make you some money. It’s completely wrong. You are aware that I’m retiring after this season. So in terms of support it will be whatever is required monthly for someone who’s unemployed.”
Separate court docs from October claimed that Thompson denied sending Nichols texts, Snapchats and other forms of communication regarding her pregnancy “despite the fact that his contact information is present in the messages.”
Nichols and Thompson reportedly conceived their child in March while he was still dating Kardashian. He confessed to having sex with Nichols in a declaration obtained by the Daily Mail.
In March 2020, Us confirmed that the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum and Thompson were quarantining together during the coronavirus pandemic.
Five months later, a source exclusively revealed to Us that the on-again, off-again pair were giving their romance another try more than a year after they split. (In February 2019, Thompson was caught kissing Kylie Jenner’s former best friend Jordyn Woods.) They were also thinking about having another baby together at the time.
“Khloé is hopeful that Tristan has changed for good and will continue to grow and be the great and loyal partner that he has been throughout their time together during the quarantine,” the insider said in August 2020.
However, the reunion was short-lived. Us confirmed in June that the pair had called it quits once again, with a source revealing that “there was no drama” between the former couple, who “remain amicable toward each other and will continue to coparent.”
