Tim Duncan, a player for the San Antonio Spurs professional basketball team, and his wife have ended their marriage. The divorce was the end of a relationship that had begun in college. At the request of the athlete’s lawyer, the divorce hearing was held at the lawyer’s office, with the couple and their attorneys in attendance. Most hearings are held at the Bexar County, Texas, courthouse. Evidently, the couple feared harassment from “paparazzi” asking for autographs or taking numerous photographs.
While celebrity divorces get a lot of publicity, there are many ways in which they are just like the divorce proceedings for ordinary people. They must deal with the vital issues of property division, spousal support, child support, child custody and visitation. In this instance, the details of the custody arrangements for the couple’s two children, a daughter and a son, and the division of assets were not released.
While the divorce petition was first filed by the wife, the husband subsequently filed a counterpetition. The initial documents filed in court only used the initials of the couple in an attempt to safeguard their privacy. Conflict of personalities was cited as the reason for the breakdown of the marriage and the end of any expectation of reconciliation.
While the divorce between the couple has been finalized, evidently there are still some remaining issues for which there will be further court proceedings. One is a pending request from the ex-husband asking that the court bar a specific man, a San Antonio personal trainer, from being allowed to be around the couple’s children, whether in the home or outside, and whether the children are awake or asleep.
Source: MySA.com, “Secret hearing marks end of Duncans’ union” Guillermo Contreras, Aug. 20, 2013