A woman has filed a paternity lawsuit against former NBA star Paul Pierce, claiming that he’s the father of her unborn child. She’s therefore seeking a DNA test to prove her case.
Per TMZ Sports, the woman, identified as Princess Santiago, is an event director in Los Angeles. In the copy of the suit that was obtained by the entertainment news outlet, Santiago wants the court to order Pierce, 48, to undergo genetic testing to ascertain if he’s the father of her unborn child.
“I filed for paternity papers after multiple attempts to resolve this privately,” said Santiago in a statement. “Paul Pierce is the father of my son, King, and I am simply asking for a paternity test so the truth can be confirmed.”
She added: “This isn’t about drama or attention — it’s about accountability and doing what’s right for my child.”
Pierce, who already shares three children with his ex-wife Julie Landrum, was yet to respond to the lawsuit at the time of this report.
Pierce spent the majority of his NBA career with the Boston Celtics, and he’s regarded as a franchise legend. He won his first and only NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Somewhere in 2025, the retired NBA player raised eyebrows when he said that he felt marriage is for poor and old people, Face2Face Africa reported at the time.
The 48-year-old touched on the topic of marriage and the supposed disadvantages that come with it during an appearance on The Truth After Dark. Pierce also explained why he was never entering a relationship again.
“You know what I’m saying? Like, because I feel like every relationship shouldn’t be based off sex. But every relationship is based off of that. 100%. You can’t tell me nothing different. This is what I feel. And that’s why I’ll never be in another relationship, because it’s always based off of that,” he stated.
“Because it’s going to be based off the sex. Once that wears down, you’re going to go find somebody else that’s better…. This is the thing. And listen carefully. Listen carefully.”
Pierce then claimed that marriage is for poor and old people because of the benefits that come with it. “Let me say what marriage is and who marriage is for. Marriage is for old people and poor people,” he claimed.
“Because when you broke, our parents, like my moms and all them, they married on a merit of like, okay, we’re gonna put our incomes together, have all these kids, and then when our kids, we’ll have five, ten kids, back in the 60s, all them, they got five, ten kids so they can work and bring income,” he added.
“So, you poor, so you marry for that. And now, when you get old, somebody’s gotta be at your side to take care of you. My mom never been married in my lifetime. She got married when she was 70. It was perfect. She had somebody by her side the whole way through.”
He also claimed that marriage does not pose any benefit to men as it is only “advantageous to a woman.” “Outside of that, there’s no advantage to a man. What does it do for a man when things go south? Like, we gonna have to give up half our this, pay child support, pay… It’s only advantageous to a woman. Like, it’s real talk,” he said.
At the time, Pierce said he didn’t envision being in a long-term relationship until he was 70 years old. “I don’t think it’s realistic long term until I turn 70. I’m 47 right now. Until I turn 70, that’s the only realistic part,” he said.
“It’s because we both old. We ain’t out in the streets, we at home watching TV. You go take me to the hospital, I’m gonna take you to the hospital. That’s it. But right now, I’m too cracking right now.”
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