Paul Pierce’s private life is now playing out in a California courtroom. The NBA legend is fighting his ex-girlfriend, Princess Santiago, over custody and financial support for their young son, King Rafael. Santiago is seeking sole custody, while Pierce wants to share it. But the case just became more revealing, as alleged texts between the former couple about their newborn have surfaced.

Princess included text exchanges with Paul in the new court documents obtained by TMZ. She reportedly referenced a February 6 message in the court filings. In that text, Santiago wrote to Paul Pierce, “I just wanted to let you know that your son is here. He was born today. If you’d like to see him tomorrow, let me know.”

Apparently, the Boston Celtics legend didn’t respond to Princess’ message. Following this, she dropped another message for the 48-year-old.

Santiago expressed deep frustration with Pierce’s s alleged lack of involvement. She claimed she gave him multiple opportunities to address the situation before taking legal action. “you’re letting history repeat itself, acting just like your father. My son will not be ignored or treated like the black sheep,” she wrote.

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Meanwhile, in another text from April 13, Paul Pierce responded saying, “Just found out today officially that’s my son so anyway I can at least see him.” On the other hand, Princess replied:

“Hello and congratulations, Paul. 99.99%. Anyway, you had the opportunity to take the test I paid for either before or after the birth. Instead, you chose not to and ignored my entire pregnancy with him; you prioritized love interests, vacations, other people and things over your son.”

Now, Santiago said she never blocked Paul Pierce from being involved with their son, including after his birth. She acknowledged that he had recently started taking more responsibility. However, by April 30, she made it clear she would stop pushing him to be present. She left the decision with him.

Meanwhile, Princess challenged Paul’s objection to her request for $30k in monthly child support.

Paul Pierce tries bypassing $30,000 child support

Recently, TMZ reported: “Ex-NBA star Paul Pierce is fighting his ex Princess Santiago’s plea for a massive monthly child support check — claiming his income is about to drop drastically this year. Paul filed court docs opposing his ex’s request for $30K per month in child support, plus another $100K for legal fees in the case.”

Pierce spent 19 years in the NBA and won a championship with the Celtics in 2008. He reportedly made around $200 million during his career. However, his finances now look far different. However, his finances now look far different. The 48-year-old is supposedly earning roughly $1.5 million in 2025.

That figure is expected to drop by nearly half. His FS1 residual income is also scheduled to disappear entirely in September 2026. Therefore, Pierce says his existing commitments already take a sizeable bite. He pays $44,000 each month toward domestic obligations. That includes $24,000 in child support for his other four children. Another $20,000 goes toward spousal support.

Well, Princess Santiago says the financial picture remains unclear, claiming Paul Pierce has withheld key records needed to assess his support capacity. She also says caring for their son prevents her from working and that Paul rarely sees him.

As a result, she wants sole legal and physical custody, along with child support.