NBA Star Christian Wood Must Pay $25,000 Monthly in Child Support After Missing Appeal Deadline
The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that NBA player Christian Wood has to pay $25,000 per month in child support after missing his chance to fight the decision by just one day.
The ruling ends a years-long legal battle in Lorain County between Wood and the mother of his child.
Court records show Wood and a woman from Elyria had a baby together in January 2021. The two met on social media while Wood was playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
Wood most recently played for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The case began in July 2021 when both parents appeared in Lorain County court to work out child support and visitation arrangements. The court initially ordered Wood to pay $5,000 monthly as a temporary measure.
When the case went to trial in 2023, things got more serious.
After looking at Wood’s finances and the family’s situation, the court dramatically increased his obligation to $25,000 per month. Even worse for Wood, the court made this amount retroactive to January 2021 when the child was born.
This backdating created a massive bill that accumulated quickly.
Wood tried to challenge the ruling by filing an objection. But there was a problem – he submitted it 15 days after receiving the order, when the deadline was 14 days.
That one-day delay proved costly.
The Supreme Court didn’t even consider whether $25,000 per month was a fair amount. Instead, they focused solely on the missed deadline, which automatically made the lower court’s ruling final.
“The timing issue controlled the case,” the court announcement stated. Because Wood filed late, the justices didn’t revisit the decision about the $25,000 monthly payment.
With this ruling now final, Wood is on the hook for both the monthly payments going forward and all the backdated support from January 2021.
The case shows how missing a procedural deadline, even by just one day, can determine the outcome of legal disputes – even for wealthy professional athletes.
Wood’s options are now limited to following lower-court procedures, as the state’s highest court has closed the door on his appeal.
This ruling creates a significant financial obligation for the veteran forward as he continues his NBA career.
