Ex-NBA point guard Sebastian Telfair gets jail time after failing to fulfill community service

Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair has had a run-in with the law. The former Toronto Raptors point guard has been ordered to report to prison on Aug. 12 after he failed to fulfill his community service commitments.

Telfair was involved in a health fraud case that also included other former players. U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni on Thursday ruled that Telfair failed to abide by his community service obligation and failed to report to the U.S. Probation Office.

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According to Law360, Telfair apologized to the court. However, Judge Caproni wasn't buying his remorse as she called him out for his flagrant disobedience of the court and its rulings.

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He was indicted, alongside 18 former players, by the U.S. Attorney's Office (Southern District of New York) for conspiracy to defraud the league's Health and Welfare Benefit Plan. He pleaded guilty in March 2023 for his role in submitting hundreds of thousands in false medical/dental claims and defrauding the scheme of roughly $4 million.

Instead of serving time in jail, he received 3 years' probation. He was also ordered to forfeit the money he obtained from the scheme.

Sebastian Telfair played in the league for 10 seasons. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers, who selected him with the 13th pick in the 2004 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Sebastian Telfair on when he lost a $20 million Adidas deal

Sebastian Telfair was a guest on the "VLADTV" on January 19, 2024, where he recounted losing a $20 million deal with sports giant Adidas. He asserted that his 2007 arrest for gun possession led to Adidas ending ties with him.

"I had like a $6 million check pending right there," Sebastian Telfair said. "So, they just snatched that right back, and Adidas is super bogus for that. ... That deal never should've been taken away from me. It should've been guaranteed."

He expressed his regrets over the incident when he spoke to Sports Illustrated in 2013.

Telfair went from a basketball prodigy straight out of high school to a player who never fulfilled his promise. He ended his career overseas, having played in China for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Fujian Sturgeons.

About the author

Ubong Richard Archibong is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over a year's experience in the field with FirstSportz.

Ubong is an LA Lakers fan, and he grew up watching Kobe Bryant taking on everyone with his Mamba mentality. Ubong's love for the Lakers hit another level when his favorite player, LeBron James, joined LA from the Cavs. Other than LeBron, Ubong likes Anthony Edwards, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Phil Jackson.

Beyond the court, Ubong is a traveler at heart and a Chelsea fan, always ready for the thrill and tension they bring. When not working, Ubong likes traveling and volunteering.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.