Tristan Thompson To Cough Out $58K In Back Child Support

Tristan Thompson has been ordered to pay back a significant sum in child support payments amid his no-pay suspension.

The Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player, who was suspended in January, recently found himself in another legal battle with Maralee Nichols. His baby mama accused him of being an absentee father, and the law couldn’t agree more.

It has been nearly three years since Thompson and Nichols’ infamous relationship came to light in December 2021, but time has done nothing to resolve their differences.

The former lovers appear to still be at odds over their son, Theo Thompson, the result of an affair they had while the athlete was in a relationship with Khloè Kardashian. Unfortunately, the little boy is reportedly receiving his father’s cold shoulder.

According to sources, Thompson has been an absentee father both physically and financially. Although the court previously ordered him to cough up $9,500 a month in child support, he owed his son five months of unpaid dues.

Court documents obtained by The U.S. Sun revealed the NBA star missed payments between September 15, 2023, and January 31, 2024. The evidence favored Nichols, with a judge ordering Thompson to pay back $57,916 for his son’s wellbeing.

Two months before his latest legal drama, Thompson made waves for violating the basketball league’s rules. The NBA addressed the situation in a statement, revealing he was penalized for “violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033.”

Thompson was suspended for 25 games without pay in January, a situation that broke the hearts of his Cleveland Cavaliers team. Nonetheless, they chose to stay in his corner.

The NBA team expressed their support for Thompson in a statement, writing: “The Cleveland Cavaliers fully support the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program, and we are disappointed in the recent news surrounding Tristan Thompson.”

They added, “His time away from game action will impact our team. We stand behind Tristan and offer our support throughout this suspension period.”

Craig filed a lawsuit against Thompson in 2023, claiming he failed to meet up with his monthly child support payment of $40,000. She explained that he began defaulting in November 2022 when he only paid half the amount.

The athlete reportedly paid the whole amount in December but skipped the payments for January 2023. Craig noted that he continued with partial payments of $14,500 from February 2023 until August 2023, when he made his highest payment of $29,000.

In summary, Craig only received $136,000 in child support payments for nine months, leaving $224,000 unaccounted for — a sum she implored the court must be rightfully returned to her.

In her filing, Craig noted that Thompson had the funds to pay back what was owed. She highlighted his lucrative contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, writing:

“It is my understanding that Tristan has recently signed a contract of employment with a professional sports team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, located in Cleveland, Ohio. I seek to gain some portion of his salary in order to pay the arrears he owes me.”

Craig asked the court to order the Cavaliers to withhold $80,000 from Thompson’s salary until he paid the child support debt. She stressed that her ex receives $2.7 million annually, and the sum she requested was “certainly less than half of his monthly payments.”

The drama went down on Instagram, where the mother of one shared stunning images of herself in a backless dress and open-toe heels. She captioned the post: “December is my favorite month. Sagittarius season and Christmas.”

Nichols’ happiness didn’t last long as one fan called her out in the comments, accusing her of having a “one night stand” with the NBA star. However, she vehemently denied the allegation, claiming:

“I was definitely not a one-night stand. That’s a false and defamatory statement you’re making about me.”