Paying the price? Tristan Thompson shared a cryptic message about owning up to past mistakes after settling his child support agreement with Maralee Nichols.
The NBA player, 31, uploaded a quote via his Instagram Story on Tuesday, December 20, with a highlighted passage that read: “In life you will face a lot of Circuses. You will pay for your failures. But, if you persevere, if you let those failures teach you and strengthen you, then you will be prepared to handle life’s toughest moments.”
Thompson added two shouting emojis, along with a raised arm and fingers-crossed emojis, beneath the excerpt.
The inspirational message came shortly after TMZ reported that the Canada native will pay Nichols nearly $10,000 per month in child support. The fitness model sued Thompson after claiming he got her pregnant in March 2021 — while he was still dating Khloé Kardashian. Us Weekly broke the news in December 2021 that Nichols gave birth to son Theo, and Thompson confirmed his paternity via social media one month later after a DNA test.
Along with his monthly payments, Thompson reportedly covered some of Nichols’ legal fees.
The former Boston Celtics forward shares son Prince, 6, with ex Jordan Craig and daughter True, 4, with Kardashian, 38. Us confirmed in July that Thompson and the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum were expecting a second child together via surrogate. Their baby boy, whose name has not yet been revealed, was conceived in November 2021 and arrived the following August.
Fans watched the paternity scandal play out on The Kardashians. The off-on couple’s son’s birth was featured on the premiere episode of the Hulu show’s second season.
“Ever since December, it’s been this dark cloud looming over me. Every single day, I’ve been feeling depressed and sad, and now that my son is here, I get to move on, and I get to enjoy,” the former Revenge Body host told the camera in the September episode. “It’s almost like I get to close that chapter and be done with this trauma and put it behind me. Now I finally get to start the healing process. Now I get to start enjoying my life with two kids in it and figuring this out.”
Since becoming the mother of two, Kardashian has given rare glimpses of her newborn bonding with True. Despite their ups and downs, the athlete stills hopes to coparent with the Strong Looks Better Naked author.
“He wants to be present and spend time with the kids, and of course Khloé is allowing him to be present in both of the kids’ life,” a source exclusively told Us in October, acknowledging that Kardashian has primary custody of the pair’s two kids. “He wants to be part of the baby’s life and she wants him to be. When he’s there, he’s a good loving dad.”
