When Tristan Thompson admitted to having fling behind Khloe Kardashian's back: "We saw each other sporadically ... did not have sexual intercourse"
While Tristan Thompson has never been an NBA All-Star, he has achieved plenty of off-the-court stardom, largely thanks to his high-profile relationship with Khloe Kardashian. The 2015-16 NBA champion has had a on-again-off-again relationship with the reality television star since 2016, and the couple share two children, born in 2018 and 2022.
During that time period, though, Thompson has found himself in several scandals in his personal life. The most notable of them came in 2021 when a woman named Maralee Nichols alleged that Thompson fathered her child. In legal documents, Thompson admitted to having an affair with Nichols, saying:
"We saw each other sporadically between December 2020 and March 13, 2021 and did not have sexual intercourse in California during that time. Petitioner told me that she had been involved with other athletes and understood the limitations of our relationship; to-wit, that we might see each other on a sporadic basis for consensual casual sex only."
He continued:
"From December 2020 through March 2021, we saw other on such a basis. We never had any telephone calls, emails, nor did we exchange text messages. We only communicated via the Snapchat application."
Thompson has been attempting to have the ongoing child support battle take place in Texas rather than California, alleging that they only slept together in Texas.
Nichols, though, filed the case in Los Angeles and is likely to receive a higher compensation if the case is heard in California. Thompson has reportedly been paying child support as he awaits the resolution of the court proceedings.
Tristan Thompson has been paying Maralee Nichols child support for son Theo trib.al/8MSCgtI https://t.co/2UfvwVwgKO
Has Tristan Thompson retired from NBA?
Tristan Thompson remains a free agent more than a quarter of the way through the 2022-23 NBA season. He appeared in 57 games last season, spending time with three teams. He averaged 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 52.8% in 15.7 minutes per outing.
Thompson, who started for the 2015-16 NBA champions Cleveland Cavaliers, has not announced his retirement. It's currently unknown why Thompson hasn't been signed, but he's one of many NBA veterans who have lingered on the free agent market well into the season.
While it's unclear if Thompson will be able to find his way onto a roster, the veteran big man has spent 11 seasons in the NBA. He has averaged 9.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9%. Furthermore, Thompson has earned over $118 million in NBA salary.
Watch Tristan Thompson's highlights from his career-high scoring game below: