Ex-NBA Star Paul Pierce ‘Drowning Financially,’ Struggling to Pay Monthly Bills

Paul Pierce claims he is "tapped out" financially while trying to keep up with his court-ordered support payments ... due to him no longer receiving income from Fox Sports ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Paul claims his last check from Fox Sports came in August. He said his average monthly income was $119K, but now it is zero. He said he earned around $23K last month from his partnership interests in other business ventures.

Paul said he pays around $28K in child support and another $20K in spousal support per month … but claims he only has $300K in the bank and $3 million in property.

He says he spends around $48K a month in bills, including $8K in childcare, $5K in groceries, $7K on eating out, $3,200 on utilities, $1K on clothes, $3,500 on entertainment, and various other expenses.

Paul is asking the court to shut down his ex-wife Princess Santiago’s request for $40K in legal fees and another $10K for a forensic accountant. She claimed Paul was playing games about his financial records ... and wanted an expert to review his finances.

In his filing, Paul's attorney said Paul would have "great difficulty" paying these fees since his Fox Sports contract was terminated ... adding that he was "drowning financially" and having trouble keeping up with the monetary obligations

Princess’ request for additional funds came after Paul was ordered to pay Princess $8,508 per month in temporary child support for their son, King. He was also ordered to pay $100K in legal fees.