After a Hall of Fame career and nearly $200 million US earned in NBA salary alone, Paul Pierce claims he is now “financially drowning.”
The Boston Celtics icon says that, despite earning a reported $195 million over his 19-year NBA career, he is “tapped out” after being cut loose by Fox Sports earlier this year, leaving him without steady income.
The shocking news came to light via court documents obtained by TMZ amid the 10-time NBA all-star’s custody battle with his ex-wife, Princess Santiago.
What is Paul Pierce spending his money on?
The outlet reports that Pierce pays roughly $20,000 in spousal support to Santiago per month and another $28,000 in child support for their son, King Rafae, who was born in February.
On top of Pierce’s support payments, court documents state that he spends an estimated $48,000 per month on various expenses, including necessitates like bills, childcare and groceries, but also $7,000 on restaurants, $1,000 on clothing and another $3,500 on entertainment.
Pierce, who retired after the 2016-17 at the age of 39, currently owns $3 million in property and has $300,000 to his name.
The outlet also reports that Pierce’s final pay from FS1 came in August and that he had been earning an average monthly income of $119,000 from the network. He also brought in roughly $23,000 from “other business ventures” in September.
What is the court battle about?
Santiago — an event director in Los Angeles — is requesting $40,000 in legal fees and another $10,000 for a forensic accountant, whom she allegedly hired to review Pierce’s financial records.
Pierce’s attorney argues that his client is “financially drowning” and would have “great difficulty” paying for Santiago’s requests due to his lack of steady income.
After TMZ Sports revealed Pierce’s alleged money struggles, the former NBA star appeared to comment on the situation on social media.
On Tuesday evening, Pierce simply wrote “Cap” on his X account, which is slang for lying.
What happened in Pierce’s NBA career?
Pierce was drafted by the Celtics in 1998 and played 15 seasons with the franchise, winning the NBA championship and taking home the NBA Finals MVP in 2008.
He also had stints with the Nets, Wizards and Clippers, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Over his career, he averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists over his 1,343 career games.