Shutterstock; Tristan Thompson/Instagram; Maralee Nichols/Instagram
Tristan Thompson Wants to ‘Love’ His Kids ‘A Little More’: Inside His Relationships With True, Prince and Theo
There’s no denying Tristan Thompson‘s kids, daughter True and sons Prince and Theo, are some of the cutest celebrity children around. The NBA player doesn’t give fans many glimpses of his life as a father on Instagram, but he has shown his love for his kids.
“Let me love you a little more before you are not so little anymore,” Tristan wrote via Instagram in October 2021, featuring a sweet photo of both Prince and True in front of an arcade game. The athlete said on January 4 that a paternity test confirmed he is also the father of Maralee Nichols‘ son, Theo, who was born in December 2021.
Get a further peek inside his relationships with his kids, below!
Prince Oliver Thompson
Tristan welcomed his oldest child, Prince, on December 12, 2016, with model Jordan Craig. At the time, Tristan and Jordan were already broken up, and he’d begun dating Khloé Kardashian. It was obvious the pair weren’t on the greatest terms, and it was unclear how much of a relationship Tristan had with the tot. However, he later began sharing more photos that proved he’s a loving father to his firstborn child.
Tristan’s 4th birthday tribute for his mini-me was particularly sweet and gave fans some rare insight into their relationship. “Happy birthday, Princey!!!” the proud dad gushed via Instagram in 2020. “I’m soo lucky to have you as a son, papa. Your heart and soul is pure gold. Your sister is soo lucky to have a big brother like you to watch and protect her. Daddy loves you, baby boy.”
One year prior, he wrote an equally touching message. “Happy birthday to my baby boy, Prince,” the former Cleveland Cavaliers player wrote beside a photo of his son celebrating. “You’re already 3, I remember holding you when you were born and telling you how amazing of a baby you are. Every day you continue to surprise me with your development, your love and your big heart. Your smile is one that lights up every room you are in. I thank God every day for picking me to be your father.”
In August 2022, the Chicago Bulls player shared how proud he was of his eldest son by sharing a clip of the kiddo playing hoops via Instagram Stories.
“Starting them early,” he captioned a video of Prince dribbling a basketball.
True Thompson
Khloé gave birth to True on April 12, 2018. Unfortunately, the birth was overshadowed by Tristan’s cheating scandal just one day earlier. Despite the drama, Khloé was determined to keep Tristan in their daughter’s life, and the couple eventually rekindled their romance.
Tristan lost Koko’s trust once again when he was caught canoodling with Kylie Jenner‘s former best friend Jordyn Woods in 2019. Though the duo split again, Khloé took a note from her sister Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick‘s coparenting handbook and stayed friendly with her child’s father, even defending him against haters because he’s such a good dad.
After a fan tweeted at the Revenge Body host telling her to focus on “raising your daughter the best way you know how. All she needs is her mom,” Khloé made it clear that whatever is going on between the couple won’t affect their precious girl.
“He is a good dad to her,” part of her response read. “My sweet and special baby True will NEVER be put in the middle of him and I. I can promise that.”
It seems Tristan’s parenting skills helped rebuild his bond with Khloé. “Tristan and I are in a really good space,” Khloe explained on KUWTK about their romantic reunion in summer 2020. “I have to be an adult. Why make it difficult for myself for the rest of my life? And he’s her dad. He’s a great dad to her. So, I’m not gonna drag my feet. I’ll make it as good as I can, because that would just be harder on me. It’s in a really great place. And I praise things like that.”
While the duo split yet again in June 2021, as confirmed by Life & Style, they appear to have a civil relationship.
Theo Nichols
Maralee shared the meaning behind her son’s name in a statement to Life & Style on February 23, nearly three months after giving birth to him on December 1, 2021.
“Theo, my little angel baby. I named you Theo because it means, ‘Gift from God,'” she shared. “I had never been pregnant and had been told I might not be able to have children. I couldn’t believe I was pregnant, when I saw you on the ultrasound and heard your little heartbeat I knew I would always protect you and keep you safe. I love you more than you’ll ever know. You bring such joy and happiness into my life. My greatest blessing,”
Tristan and Maralee welcomed their son amid their ongoing paternity lawsuit. The Canadian athlete released a message about the situation on January 3 and confirmed he would be coparenting with the former personal trainer.
“I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son,” he began, continuing, “I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately.”
However, Maralee’s rep, Harvey Englander, claimed in a statement to In Touch that Tristan has “done nothing to support” baby No. 3. “He has not made any attempt to meet their son nor has he provided any financial assistance,” the rep noted.
Baby No. 4
A rep for the Kardashians star confirmed to Life & Style that “True will have a sibling who was conceived in November.”
“Khloe is incredibly grateful to the extraordinary surrogate for such a beautiful blessing,” the rep said. “We’d like to ask for kindness and privacy so that Khloe can focus on her family.”
Life & Style confirmed in August 2022 that Khloé and Tristan welcomed a son.
