Tristan Thompson is the target of a paternity suit as personal trainer Maralee Nichols claims she’s pregnant with his third child.
Nichols, who has not yet given birth, is suing the 30-year-old Sacramento Kings player for child support. According to court records obtained by Us Weekly, the baby is due in December.
The fitness instructor attended doctor’s appointments in April and May, the first of which cost $518 and was covered by Thompson. The NBA player has not paid for the second appointment, per the docket.
Thompson filed documents of his own in July, submitting to a courthouse in Houston, where Nichols is based. (She has temporarily been living in California.) Since then, the pair have been locked into a legal back and forth, with the professional athlete requesting to seal records in November.
In August, Nichols’ lawyer urged the court to bring in Thompson for a deposition “in the next three to four weeks.” That same month, an alleged text message received by Nichols from the former Boston Celtics player was presented.
“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.”
The message continued: “It’s texas so it will be only a couple hundred dollars. So you better off taking this 75k I’m offering cause you won’t get nothing near that with having a kid with a father who’s unemplyed [sic] All you will have is a baby with a father who has zero involvement with the child and a few hundred dollars of child support a month.”
After initially offering September dates for a Zoom hearing, Thompson was deposed in October. One month later, an objection from Nichols claimed that the Canada native “refused to answer basic questions relating to jurisdictional issues between California and Texas,” as allegedly advised by his legal team. Separate court docs claimed 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 reportedly conceived her future child in March while celebrating Thompson’s birthday, while he was still dating Khloé Kardashian. He confessed to having sex with Nichols in a declaration obtained by the Daily Mail.
Thompson shares son Prince, 4, with ex Jordan Craig and welcomed daughter True with Kardashian, 37, in April 2018. Shortly before True’s arrival, Thompson was caught cheating with multiple women. While the duo initially stayed together, they split in February 2019 after he kissed Jordyn Woods.
One year later, Us broke the news that Kardashian and Thompson were quarantining together during the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, a source exclusively revealed that the on-off pair were giving their romance another try — and thinking about baby No. 2.
“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 noted at the time.
However, the reconciliation was short-lived. Us confirmed in June that the twosome called it quits once again, with a source revealing that “there was no drama” between the former couple.
“They remain amicable toward each other and will continue to coparent,” the insider noted at the time.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum has yet to respond to allegations about her ex possibly fathering another child, but on Thursday, December 2, she shared a series of cryptic quotes on social media.
“I just don’t have time for negative energy and even when I do, I still don’t,” one excerpt read, while another noted, “You are currently living at least one of the prayers you used to pray.”
Earlier this year, Thompson also made headlines when model Kimberly Alexander was ordered to pay him $52,000 in a libel lawsuit he filed in May 2020 after she claimed that he was the father of her 5-year-old son. The payment consisted of $50,000 in general damages and $2,901.95 in costs. According to court documents obtained by Us in June, Thompson agreed to take a DNA test to prove the child was not his after previously sending Alexander a cease and desist letter.
