By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-10 13:30:08 | Updated at 2025-01-10 16:53:25
3 hours ago
NBA superstar Jimmy Butler is calling foul on his baby mama's 'huge' spending habits in secret paternity battle papers obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com.
Butler says the $55,000 he pays former flame Kaitlin Nowak in monthly child support should be more than enough for their three kids Rylee, Brayan, and Kian.
But the Heat forward, 35, wants to know why his brunette ex-lover is billing him a further $10,000 every month for a nanny he claims she doesn't even need.
His gripes are outlined in a scathing court motion calling on Nowak, 34, to explain how she spends the 'tremendous' sums of money he gives her.
Butler's lawyers also note Nowak's alleged 'refusal' to get a job - adding: 'It must be pointed out that the Father and Mother were never married.
'Mother is not entitled to live as if she is married to a National Basketball Association (NBA) player.'
Butler and Nowak began dating in 2019 but kept their relationship largely under wraps despite him being one of the best-known players on the planet.
The couple welcomed their little girl Rylee, five, in October 2019, when Butler missed the first three games of the Heat's season to be present at her birth.
Jimmy Butler called out baby mama and ex-girlfriend Kaitlin Nowak (right) for demanding he cough up $10,000 a month for a nanny in addition to his $55,000 in monthly child support payments, in a scathing court filing obtained by DailyMail.com
Butler's son Brayan and daughter Rylee were feature as toddlers in 2024 Netflix documentary, Starting 5
Two-year-old Brayan was born in 2022 and both kids featured as adorable toddlers in Starting 5, a Netflix documentary following the lives of five top basketball players during the 2023-2024 season.
The birth of Butler's second son, Kian, one, was only disclosed in confidential court papers when Nowak launched an October 2023 petition within weeks of the boy's birth to establish paternity and child support.
That was around the same time Butler publicly denied rumors he was dating Colombian singer Shakira, hailing her an 'incredible human being' while insisting they were merely friends.
He and Nowak reached a partial deal in December 2023 which granted Butler shared custody and agreed that he would pay for a nanny on a 'temporary' basis.
The case was declared confidential and remained under seal until he decided, a year later, to seek a hearing challenging the nanny arrangement.
Rylee will attend school later this year and Brayan will be enrolled in preschool or childcare, thereby 'curtailing if not eliminating Mother's 'so-called for a nanny,' his filing states.
'Mother is unemployed and refuses to seek employment. With one child in preschool and Father exercising equal timesharing with the older children, there is no legitimate reason for Mother to insist both on a nanny and that Father pay for that nanny.
'The parties have attended mediation in an effort to resolve all outstanding issues, but Mother refuses to waive her demands that Father pay for the nanny on top of the tremendous amount of child support he is paying,' it says.
Butler and Nowak began dating in 2019 but kept their relationship largely under wraps. They share three children together
Butler is arguing that the $55,000 he pays Nowak in monthly child support should be more than enough for their three kids Rylee, five, Brayan, two, and one-year-old Kian
Lawyers for Butler - earning $49million this year after signing a $184million four-year contract extension in 2021 – warn they could seek the appointment of an independent mediator to examine Nowak's finances.
'If Mother is claiming that she cannot afford a nanny despite the child support she receives (which exceeds even the maximum that these children possibly could need), Father is entitled to an accounting of Mother's use of the funds and, potentially, for the appointment of a guardian ad litem to oversee the expenditures,' the motion says.
Butler has been with the Heat since 2019 and was the cornerstone of their march to two NBA finals.
He has a $52million player option for the 2025-26 season but looks likely to leave Miami after he told the media last week he no longer enjoyed playing for the team.
Butler's remarks prompted Heat officials to take the drastic measure of suspending him seven games for criticizing the organization.
With the February 6 trade deadline looming he may have played his last game for the South Florida outfit, who sit seventh in the Eastern Conference.
'Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team,' a team statement said.
'Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.'
Lawyers for Butler noted that the children's mother 'is unemployed and refuses to seek employment' and argued that a nanny is not 'reasonably necessary'
Rumors over Butler's future have been swirling since he sold his $8.3million Coral Gables mansion last summer.
Since then he's been shelling out a reported $70,000 per month to rent a palatial waterfront mansion on Miami Beach's ultra-lux Hibiscus Island.
In recent years Butler has stressed to the media that his kids are now his number one priority.
'I always talk about my 'why,' and my 'why' are my kids,' he told ABC in June 2023.
'Like everything I do now, I want to make it home to them. I want to make sure they're safe.'
Asked the first thing he would do after losing to the Nuggets in the 2023 NBA finals, Butler told Bleacher Report: 'I'm gonna play with my daughter, man.
'I love her to death, I miss her, I've been away for a very long time.'
Butler's lawyer Brian Karpf told DailyMail.com: 'Child support is intended for the benefit of the children and only the children. There is no justification of additional expenses here.'
He said his client was 'a good dad' who 'remains committed to the care and wellbeing of his children.'
Nowak's attorney Paul Leinoff said the mom-of-three would respond to Butler's claims in her own court filing.
