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Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh began legal proceedings in October to support his then-unborn daughter, according to a Dallas lawyer.

And on Thursday, Bosh confirmed that he is providing financial support to the baby's mother.

"I love my daughter. Of course I'm financially supporting her," Bosh said in a statement issued through a Raptors spokesman.

On Oct. 3, 2008, six weeks after he split with the baby's mother, Allison Mathis, Bosh filed a petition in a Dallas court to begin arranging custody and financial support of the child. In the event Bosh and Mathis could not come to a written agreement, the petition asked the court "to make orders for support of the child" and "provide for appropriate access to the child for both parties."

When subsequent testing confirmed his paternity, Bosh filed an amendment to his original petition on Jan. 30, again requesting an order to cover off care, custody and support for their daughter in the absence of a mutual agreement.

By then, Trinity Myers Bosh had been born.

According to Bosh's lawyer, Larry Hance, the filings demonstrate the four-time NBA all-star had no intention of acting like a deadbeat dad, as he's been portrayed by various media outlets since a Toronto newspaper first reported Tuesday that Mathis had filed suit against him in a Maryland court.

Rather, he has attempted to establish his parental rights and responsibilities, not run from them.

"The dispute is about what amount of money should that support be," Hance said. "Should it be some amount that meets the needs of the child or should it be something more?

"I can say, from his position, he has been willing to pay a reasonable and generous amount to more than cover the needs of the child."

"I just wanted to get everything sorted out, that's all I can say," Bosh said last night after the Raptors' 115-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. "I took the initiative because I know how things are. I didn't want any complications."

In both Texas and Maryland, child-support payments are determined by a formula that takes into account the combined monthly income of both parents. But the formula won't be applied in this case because Bosh earns about $1.2-million (U.S.) per month, while Mathis is not working, according to Maryland-based family law expert Stuart Grozbean.

A judge will instead determine Bosh's financial obligation, unless the parties settle.

"[Those filings] say to me that he stepped up to bat and said 'I'm the father of this child and I want to be part of this child's life,' " Grozbean said yesterday. "They indicate to me he's not shirking his responsibilities."

Late last November, after his daughter was born, Bosh filed a motion requesting a court order for genetic testing to confirm he was the father, another routine step.

"In a case like this, I always advise my client to establish paternity," Hance said. "It can be deemed offensive to the other party, and I say to my clients, 'Blame me if you have to, but you need to get this done.' It's just the way it is. I do it for all my clients."

The Jan. 30 amendment cited his reasons for the issues to be heard before a Texas court rather than in Maryland: "[Bosh and Mathis] met in the state of Texas. They dated and then lived together in the state of Texas. They consummated their relationship sexually in the state of Texas. [Mathis] stopped using birth control in the state of Texas with the intent of becoming pregnant. …"

The three-year-old relationship between Bosh and Mathis fractured suddenly and irrevocably last summer. At the time of the break, Mathis was seven months pregnant.

Mathis has since moved to Maryland, and claims to be living with her mother in a two-bedroom apartment.

In her claim — filed on Nov. 26 and served to Bosh after the Raptors played the New Jersey Nets at Continental Airlines Arena on Dec. 12 — Mathis said she was forced to leave their jointly-owned home in the Dallas suburbs after Bosh cut her off from all financial support. As a result, she had no means to get to her doctor appointments, let alone pay for them.

The financial and emotional stress contributed, Mathis said, to her giving birth to Trinity three weeks early by emergency caesarian section.

Those allegations, which have not been proven in court, have created a portrait of the community-minded Raptors star that is at odds with a public image he's worked hard to establish over six NBA seasons in Toronto.

"I think as you dig deeper, you'll find out that Chris has been willing to do the right thing," Hance said.

Bosh's seeming act of good faith is significant. While it's a private matter that's become public, the Raptors have been historically careful to protect their franchise image in the marketplace, even to the extent of passing over talented players with questionable character. Bosh is the face of the team, displayed prominently in advertising and promotions.

As a potential free agent in 2009-10, his future with the club was already a subject of public discussion. If the allegations made by Mathis are proven in court, his reputation could potentially be shredded, a development that could play into his long-term future with the Raptors.