Child Custody: Celebrity Dads Who Got Custody Of The Kids (PHOTOS)

NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was recently awarded temporary custody of his three children, bringing to a close the latest chapter in his contentious divorce battle with his estranged wife, Pilar.

Sanders' win got us thinking about other celebrity dads who got custody of their kids after a split. Click through the slideshow below to see who they are.

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• Dwayne Wade

  In March 2011, a Chicago court awarded NBA star Dwayne Wade <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/13/dwyane-wade-custody-battle_n_835101.html" target="_hplink">sole "care, custody and control" of his two sons</a>, following a bitter custody battle with ex-wife Siohvaughn Wade. At the time of the ruling, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/13/dwyane-wade-custody-battle_n_835101.html" target="_hplink">Miami Heat player told the <em>Associated Press</em></a> that "a huge weight is off my back." Wade added: "My life changed in a huge way. Mentally, I've been preparing for it for over a year now. To me, it's bigger than that. For me, it shows a lot of people that you need to fight to be in your kids' lives sometimes. You fight until you can't fight any more. That's all I was trying to be, a father in his kids' lives."

• Jesse James

  In June 2011, Jesse James was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/27/jesse-james-custody-battl_n_911073.html" target="_hplink">awarded sole custody of his then seven-year-old daughter Sunny</a>, bringing to a close an extended court battle with ex-wife Janine Lindemulder. The "Outlaw Garage" star <a href="http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/03/jesse-james-daughter-tattoo-name-his-wrist-spring-break" target="_hplink">recently tweeted a photo</a> of Sunny inking his wrist with her name.

• Kevin Federline

  In July 2008, Britney Spears ended her custody battle with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, agreeing to give him <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,385582,00.html" target="_hplink">sole legal and physical custody of their two sons</a>, Sean Preston and Jayden James. Spears would continue to have visitation rights. Since then, the couple have reportedly <a href="http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/parenting/5-celebrity-custody-battles3.htm" target="_hplink">moved closer to shared custody</a>.

• Lenny Kravitz

  Lenny Kravitz's daughter, Zoe, lived with his ex-wife <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10716179" target="_hplink">Lisa Bonet until the age of 11</a>. After that, Kravitz reportedly <a href="http://globalgrind.com/entertainment/dwyane-wade-9-other-cool-celebrity-mr-moms-photos?page=5" target="_hplink">received primary custody</a> of Zoe, with Bonet <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10716179" target="_hplink">spending summers</a> with the teen. In September 2007, Kravitz <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/25/AR2007092501160.html" target="_hplink">told the <em>Washington Post</em></a> about his life with Zoe, who is now 23 and a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15/celebrity-kids-10-rising-_n_1095460.html#s475518&title=Zoe_Kravitz" target="_hplink">burgeoning actress and model</a>. "Watching my daughter grow up is the highlight of everything," the rockstar said.

• Cristiano Ronaldo

  Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo announced the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/06/cristiano-ronaldo-baby-mother" target="_hplink">birth of a son, Cristiano Jr., in June 2010</a>. The identity of the boy's mother is unknown and the Real Madrid player said he had "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/06/cristiano-ronaldo-baby-mother" target="_hplink">exclusive guardianship</a>" of the child. Last month, the soccer player raised eyebrows when he was photographed driving his Lamborghini with his <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2137270/Cristiano-Ronaldo-shocks-driving-son-lap--reunites-girlfriend-Irina-Shayk-rare-unity.html?ito=feeds-newsxml" target="_hplink">22-month-old son</a> sitting on his lap.

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Comments

[tomodachi58]

02:41 PM on 08/05/2012

Wow, a whole 5 guys, with LOTS of money for really good attorneys, yeah, I can see how that gives hope for most average guys that are looking at the standard treatment.

[jadeaic]

11:00 AM on 07/25/2012

And Roy Jones, Jr. - don't forget him,

[belldn3]

09:47 PM on 05/12/2012

K-Fed and Jesse James are dead-beats. The rest may be good fathers who really care, don't really know.

[Spartan112]

09:17 PM on 05/14/2012

Regardless of their public image or relationships with the exes, you have no idea what kind of parents these men are.

[belldn3]

09:28 PM on 05/14/2012

And YOU do?????

[headkat1]

02:11 AM on 05/12/2012

Divorce is terrible when you have kids...but it's kind of good for dads to know what it takes to raise children. I cannot imagine losing your children to your ex-husband! We women know that the men can never do what we women do. They can't come close, no matter how hard they try and some do...but they can never replace their mom.

[DanDad]

04:33 PM on 05/12/2012

You are so wrong. I am a Dad and I raised my two daughters from ages 1 and 3. They are now 35 and 37 and are very responsible adults. I not only came close to women who raised children and I surpassed many of them. Mothers and fathers can be the best, but some fathers and some mothers who are alone do an awsome job of parenting. An honest look at both parents is needed to figure out which parent will provide the best enviorment to raise a child.

[ruthieriver1]

08:55 PM on 05/12/2012

As a divorced Mom, you are so wrong,men are very capable of being fantastic single fathers..

[Baldheaded Fool]

08:53 PM on 05/11/2012

is one of his sons bald like me???

[luckylily88]

04:03 PM on 05/11/2012

I work in a family law office and I can tell you that I've seen quite a few moms who received custody of the kids because of a sexist legal system. There is an unfair assumption that men are unfit parents and women are always better at child rearing. I watched a court grant custody of two children who were literally screaming for their father when she dragged them out of the courthouse. She called our office the next day and just said "I win."

[Tom Grace]

09:55 PM on 05/10/2012

sadly, it's a celebrity dad or very wealthy one who can ever expect to see this justice. not all dads should be weekends only and not all moms should have 'primary' care.....honest assessments of what is really in the best interests of the child(ren) are rare. and almost non-existent unless the mother has a drug problem, or walks away. one of the great injustices of the u.s. court system. mothers are the default position of the courts.

[WilmaJune]

03:39 AM on 05/13/2012

In NY, once a child is seven, they can decide with which parent they want to live.

[Mattie]

09:32 PM on 05/10/2012

wow, how sad for the kids when Jesse is the responsible parent.

[Roc Steady]

02:34 PM on 05/11/2012

Just because he has issues with infidelity does not mean he is a bad father...

[luckylily88]

04:03 PM on 05/11/2012

How sad for you that you feel the authority to judge the parenting skills of someone you've never met.

[alwaystellitlikeitis]

12:50 AM on 05/12/2012

Funny. It's clear from your comment that you've just judged the OP. Does that mean it's sad for you too?