Fresh off signing a $90 million contract, P.J. Washington faces a demand to increase child support payments to $35,000 per month.
Shortly after P.J. Washington signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks, his life off the court became the focus of attention.
Not because of a game.
Not because of his on-court performance.
But because of a dispute regarding child support and custody involving Brittany Renner.
According to court documents reported by U.S. media, Renner has requested an increase in the current child support payments for their son from $5,500 to at least $35,000 per month.
Notably, this request comes right after Washington signed his new $90 million deal.
And the NBA player’s new income level is one of the factors Renner cited to justify her request.
From $5,500 to $35,000
The $5,500 monthly child support figure is not merely an online rumor.
According to court records, this amount was established in a North Carolina agreement in November 2024. Washington was also required to pay $130,000 covering prior support obligations and legal fees; records indicate he had no outstanding arrears at that time.
However, after Renner moved to California with their son, she claimed that financial circumstances had changed significantly.
Renner argued that the $5,500 figure was based on the cost of living in North Carolina, whereas life in California is far more expensive.
In the filings, she stated she was facing financial hardship and could not provide their son with a lifestyle comparable to the one Washington enjoys.
She also alleged that Washington had exercised less than half of his allotted visitation time. Consequently, Renner is seeking a new support payment of $35,000 per month.
That is a massive jump.
Going from $5,500 to $35,000 represents more than a sixfold increase.
The $90 million contract takes center stage.
One of Renner’s most notable arguments centers directly on Washington’s new contract.
She points out that the Mavericks player has just signed a $90 million deal and is living a lifestyle she describes as vastly different in financial terms.
According to court filings cited by the media, Renner claims that Washington and his current family own multiple luxury vehicles, frequently appear in designer brands, and enjoy lavish vacations. In contrast, she describes her own California residence as a modest Airbnb and notes that she has bought clothes for their child at Target.
Renner’s argument hinges on a principle common to child support disputes:
A child is entitled to a standard of living commensurate with the financial means of both parents.
For Washington—an NBA player who just signed a $90 million contract—his standard of living is clearly worlds apart from when the $5,500 figure was originally set.
However, Washington’s side disagrees.
P.J. Washington objects.
Washington has asked the court to reject Renner’s attempt to move the case to California and has opposed the request for increased child support.
According to filings submitted by Washington, he maintains that the child support issue was already resolved in a previous case in North Carolina.
Washington also asserts that the two parties had previously reached an agreement regarding the $5,500 monthly payment and joint custody arrangements.
Therefore, the dispute is not simply a matter of:
“He just made $90 million, so why not pay more?” It also raised a more significant legal question:
Which court had jurisdiction, and could the previously agreed-upon child support amount be modified?
That is why the case quickly became complicated.
Then came the story about “serving papers” at an NBA game.
Another detail that drew attention to the dispute was an allegation from Washington’s side that Renner’s lawyer had threatened to serve him with legal papers right during an NBA game if he did not agree to the request to move the case to California.
According to documents obtained by *Us Weekly*, Renner’s lawyer reportedly discussed purchasing tickets in the section directly behind the visiting team’s bench during Mavericks games in Los Angeles to facilitate the service of process.
However, it is important to note that there is no evidence Washington was actually served with papers on the court during a game.
This was an allegation made in legal filings, and the two parties held differing views on the matter.
But the story took a turn.
Notably, the dispute did not drag on in the way the public might have imagined.
In February 2026, Brittany Renner announced that she had voluntarily dropped the child support lawsuit in California.
In a post and on the *Facets of Life* podcast, Renner stated that she had requested the case be dismissed, emphasizing that she did not need money to be happy. She also mentioned moving to Atlanta and choosing to focus on her own life.
This meant that the request to increase child support to $35,000 per month did not result in a final ruling requiring Washington to pay that amount.
This is a crucial point to consider when the story is shared on social media.
Don’t reduce the dispute to a simple “who is right, who is wrong” narrative.
Stories involving celebrities and money are often prone to oversimplification.
On one side, there is the image of an NBA player who just signed a $90 million contract.
On the other, there is a mother stating that $5,500 a month is insufficient to cover living expenses and her child’s needs.
Yet, behind those figures lies a legal matter involving child custody, living expenses, parental income, and the child’s best interests.
One cannot simply look at the $90 million figure and conclude that $35,000 is reasonable or that $5,500 is too little.
That $90 million contract represents the total value of a multi-year deal, not a lump sum deposited immediately into Washington’s bank account.
Most importantly, determining the final child support amount is a matter for the courts and legal agreements, not a social media poll.
Ultimately, the child remains the most important factor.
Amidst figures like $5,500, $35,000, and $90 million, it is easy to forget that a young boy lies at the heart of the story.
Washington and Renner share a son, Paul III.
Regardless of the parents’ disagreements over child support or custody, the legal system’s ultimate goal is to ensure the child’s best interests.
That is precisely why disputes of this nature should be resolved within the legal framework rather than turning into a social media battle.
P.J. Washington may have just signed a $90 million contract.
Brittany Renner may have once requested $35,000 a month in child support.
But Renner herself subsequently dropped the lawsuit in California. Thus, the actual story is far more complex than headlines suggesting someone was “hit with demands for more money right after signing a $90 million deal.”
Behind a massive NBA contract lay a family dispute, conflicting legal arguments, and, ultimately, the decision to drop the lawsuit.
A $90 million figure might grab the world’s attention. Yet, for a family, the most important thing isn’t the number itself—but rather how the adults resolve their disagreements to protect the child’s best interests.
