Alleged private messages between Paul Pierce and Princess Santiago have been submitted in their ongoing court dispute over custody and financial support for their infant son, King Rafael.
Santiago attached the exchanges to a recent filing, according to TMZ’s review of the documents. The messages span the months following King’s February 6th birth and include statements attributed to both parents.
The correspondence addresses when Pierce learned that genetic testing had confirmed his paternity, his requests to see King and Santiago’s claims that she repeatedly encouraged him to become more involved.
Pierce has not publicly provided a detailed response, but he confirmed in an April court filing that he is King’s father and is seeking joint legal and physical custody.
Santiago Filed Messages From the Day King Was Born
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In an alleged February 6th message, Santiago informed Pierce that his son had been born and invited him to visit the following day. Santiago allegedly contacted him again on February 15th and accused him of ignoring King. She also wrote that she would not allow their son to be treated differently from Pierce’s other children or family relationships.
Pierce Allegedly Asked to See King After the Paternity Result
The filing includes an April 13th message attributed to Pierce in which he allegedly wrote, “Just found out today officially that’s my son,” before asking whether he could see King. Santiago responded that the test showed a 99.99% probability of paternity. She accused Pierce of declining an earlier opportunity to take a test and being absent during her pregnancy.
Her message also stated that she had not prevented Pierce from seeing King and acknowledged that he had started making an effort to become involved. That position was consistent with a statement Santiago later gave to PEOPLE after Pierce confirmed paternity.
She said she appreciated his efforts to see their son while remaining focused on stability and consistent co-parenting. An alleged April 30th message showed Santiago telling Pierce she would no longer repeatedly ask him to participate in King’s life. “If you want to be a father to him, cool,” she allegedly wrote before saying she would not beg him.
The Parents Are Seeking Different Custody Arrangements
Santiago had previously requested sole legal and physical custody, with visitation for Pierce. She also sought an order requiring him to provide health insurance for King and contribute toward pregnancy, birth and post-birth medical expenses. In her latest filing, Santiago reportedly claimed that Pierce rarely sees King and has resisted her attempts to involve him more consistently.
Pierce confirmed in his response to Santiago’s parentage petition that he is King’s biological father and requested joint legal and physical custody. He claimed that Santiago sends lengthy messages about matters unrelated to their son and harasses his girlfriend.
They Remain Far Apart on Child Support
In an earlier filing, Santiago requested $29,811 per month in child support, along with $100,000 for legal fees and approximately $18,846 toward pregnancy, birth and post-birth expenses. Pierce has opposed the proposed monthly amount and asked to pay approximately $4,145 instead. He said the lower figure better reflects his current income following his retirement from the NBA and the end of his employment with Fox Sports 1.
According to Complex’s review of his filing, Pierce reported approximately $1.5 million in income for 2025 and said payments connected to Fox Sports 1 would end in September 2026. He also said he had voluntarily paid Santiago $5,000 per month and already had substantial financial obligations involving spousal support and four other children.