As the 2026-27 NBA season approaches, Jimmy Butler finds himself in the spotlight for reasons beyond his performance on the court. The Golden State Warriors forward recently made headlines when news broke that he and his former partner, Kaitlin Nowak, have decided to live together after a contentious legal battle over child custody and support issues.
Butler and Nowak share three children. Their relationship began in 2019, with the arrival of their daughter, Rylee, in October of the same year. They expanded their family with the birth of their first son, Brayan, in 2022, and their second son, Kiain, who was born in 2023.
The couple’s relationship garnered public interest due to their legal wrangles over custody arrangements and financial obligations. Court documents highlighted disputes over childcare costs and scheduling, notably involving the hiring of a nanny. Nowak requested an increase in the $55,000 monthly child support from Butler by an additional $10,000.
Butler contested the request for extra nanny expenses. His legal representation argued that as their children are now older and have started school, the need for a full-time nanny has diminished. Butler’s documents also pointed out that Nowak was currently not employed, questioning the necessity of additional childcare help.
“Mother is unemployed and refuses to seek employment. With one child in preschool and Father exercising equal time-sharing with the older children, there is no legitimate reason for Mother to insist both on a nanny and that Father pay for that nanny,” Butler’s attorneys wrote in response to Nowak.
On Aug. 26, 2026, TMZ reported that according to court documents filed by Nowak, she and Butler have reached what she described as a comprehensive agreement on a parenting plan. She told the court that she and Butler are also currently living together and asked that the case remain active while they work toward resolving the remaining issues.
So just who is Kaitlin Nowak? Here’s what we know about her.
Nowak was born on Dec 13, 1990, in Nebraska to Polish-American parents.
She attended Omaha South High School and after graduation, enrolled in the University of Nebraska. There she studied advertising, public relations, and applied communications. It’s not known if she is currently employed.
Nowak is, for the most part, a private person but does have an Instagram with nearly 10,000 followers. She and Butler have never shared any photos together and it’s believed they split sometime in 2023.
While Butler hasn’t commented on his relationship with Nowak, he has spoken about their children in the past.
On an episode of The Artist and The Athlete podcast in 2021, he revealed that Rylee’s godfather is former Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry. And the following year, while attending the Miami Open, Butler shared that Emma Raducanu was Rylee’s favorite tennis player.