George Pimentel/Getty Images
Tristan Thompson has reportedly requested sole conservatorship over his 17-year-old brother, Amari. As The Shade Room previously reported, Thompson was granted temporary guardianship of the child in September 2023.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Thompson filed a motion to become the sole legal guardian of his brother earlier this month. Court documents reportedly obtained by RadarOnline show that the NBA player appeared in court earlier this week.
The outlet reports that Thompson’s appearance was prompted after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge requested more information about his filing.
RadarOnline reports that Thompson’s filing asserts why appointing a legal guardian for Amari would be in his best interest.
“Amari is a minor and has medical conditions that render him unable to take care of himself or seek gainful employment. Appointing a guardian for Amari would be in his best interest because it would ensure that someone would be responsible for providing and fulfilling his basic needs,” the filing reads, per RadarOnline.
Additionally, Thompson’s filing alleges that Amari is set to inherit $114,000 from their late mother. The older brother would like to invest the 17-year-old’s assets and enroll Amari in school.
Furthermore, Thompson asserts that appointing him as his brother’s legal guardian will allow him to enroll Amari in school, obtain him proper healthcare, and allow them to travel together internationally.
“Tristan has been taking care of Amari since their mother died in January of 2023. Tristan has ensured that Amari has made of all his medical appointments, has had all of his basic needs met, and has provided him with a quality of life that none of Amari’s other living relatives can meet,” the filing adds.
Entertainment Tonight adds that because Amari is a Canadian citizen, possibly requiring him to be sent back to the country will only add further detriment.
“If Amari is required to return to Canada there are no relatives there that have the ability or means to support Amari, and he cannot be provided the level of care and support he is receiving in the United States while in my custody,” Thompson’s filing reads, per Entertainment Tonight. “[I want] to ensure that Amari continues to have a happy and fulfilling life and to provide him with the best care possible.”
According to RadarOnline, Thompson’s new filing also provided an update on his and his brother’s relationship with their father, Trevor. Thompson alleged that he still is unaware of his father’s whereabouts but it would be “contrary to the interests of justice” if Trevor Thompson were informed of Amari’s guardianship hearings.
“Before Andrea Marie Brooks, the proposed ward’s biological mother, died on January 5, 2023, she obtained sole custody of [Amari] in July of 2014. Trevor Douglas Thompson was ordered to pay child support to Andrea Marie Brooks as a result of the same proceeding which granted Andrea Brooks sole custody,” the petition reportedly reads, per RadarOnline. “Since then, Trevor Douglas Thompson has effectively abandoned the proposed ward; he failed to pay any child support despite the court order and has not been in contact with the [Amari] or Andrea Marie Brooks since July 2014.”
Additionally, Thompson alleged that the last time he saw his father was briefly at his mother’s funeral in January 2023.
“My only contact with Trevor Thompson in the past nine years was a brief interaction when he appeared at my mother’s funeral. I have no knowledge of his current or recent whereabouts,” he reportedly stated in the filing.
Thompson alleges that he hired a professional to locate his father. However, the attempt was unsuccessful.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Tristan Thompson was granted temporary custody of Amari in September 2023 – nine months after their mother, Andrea, passed away. At the time, Thompson initially revealed their father’s estrangement and alleged that he was Amari’s “closest living family member.”
Amari reportedly has a severe form of epilepsy and relies on a wheelchair. The 17-year-old also requires around-the-clock care.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Andrea Thompson suffered an unexpected heart attack, which also prompted Tristan’s ex, Khloé Kardashian, to step in and provide care for Amari as well.
