Paul Pierce reportedly ‘drowning financially’ amid court case

Paul Pierce earned nearly $200 million in salary over the course of his 19-year career, most of which was spent with the Boston Celtics.

But the 2008 NBA Finals MVP is now reportedly struggling to pay his bills, according to TMZ.

In legal documents obtained by the tabloid giant, Pierce claims that he is “drowning financially” and  “tapped out” while trying to make his regular court-ordered support payments — especially after no longer receiving income from Fox Sports, which last year canceled a sports talk show that featured Pierce as a panelist.

“He said his average monthly income was $119K, but now it is zero,” TMZ wrote. “He said he earned around $23K last month from his partnership interests in other business ventures.”

The documents are part of an ongoing court case between Pierce and his ex-girlfriend, Princess Santiago. Pierce and Santiago have a son who was born in February 2026.​

According to People, Pierce was ordered to pay $100,000 in attorney’s fees and an additional $10,000 for a forensic accountant, per court documents.

“His attorney said the fees ‘no longer reflect [Pierce’s] actual income’ and claimed he’s ‘unable to keep up with his obligation to pay his own counsel and forensic accountant, let alone pay additional funds to the other side in attorney’s fees and forensic accounting fees,’” People’s Natasha Dye and Danielle Bacher wrote.

Per TMZ, Pierce disclosed in the filing that he currently pays around $28,000 in child support and another $20,000 in spousal support per month — while claiming that he only has $300,000 in the bank and $3 million in property assets.

The 49-year-old Pierce also disclosed his monthly spending in the filing acquired by TMZ, which reportedly accounts for an additional $48,000.

According to TMZ, Pierce said in the filing that his $48,000 monthly bills includes $8,000 in childcare, $5,000 in groceries, $7,000 on dining out, $3,200 on utilities, $1,000 on clothes, $3,500 on entertainment, and “various other expenses.”

Pierce has struggled to find his footing in his post-playing career, even after making the switch to TV.

Pierce last worked at Fox Sports in 2025. “Speak” — the daily sports show on which he appeared — was among the several sports programs shuttered by the network last year.

According to court filings acquired by TMZ, Pierce claimed that he received his final check from Fox Sports in August.

Prior to his stint at Fox Sports, Pierce served as an analyst on ESPN from 2017 to 2021 — but was fired by the network after he posted videos of himself smoking, drinking, and dancing with women on Instagram Live.

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.