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Prison Sentence Announced For Basketball Legend Sebastian Telfair

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 1:58 PM ET

At one time he looked like one of the most promising basketball prospects ever, but a series of unfortunate events are going to see Sebastian Telfair spend time behind bars.

According to Sportico, Telfair has been ordered to report to prison this August and serve six months after "failing to meet the terms of his supervised release in a health fraud case." Telfair was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised released after reaching a plea agreement in a case of defrauding the NBA's Players Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.

Some of the reported violations of his supervised release include community service and meetings with his probation officer - both of which he reportedly failed to do.

U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni expressed frustration at Telfair in his recent sentencing.

"You thumbed your nose at your probation officer and me over and over," Judge Caproni reportedly told him.

Sebastian Telfair had avoided prison for health care fraud — he and other ex-NBA players used fake invoices to defraud the NBA’s Players Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.

Then he didn't do his court-ordered community service.

Now he's going to prison: https://t.co/Ow7AfEDVlU.
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) June 30, 2025

A former New York Mr. Basketball and Mr. Basketball USA, Telfair went straight from high school to the NBA in 2004, going No. 13 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers in that year's draft.

Telfair would go on to play in over 500 NBA games for over a half dozen teams between 2004 and 2014, though he never averaged more than 10 points per game over the course of a season and was mostly a bench player.

Telfair would play a couple more seasons of pro basketball in China before legal problems started to really mess with his entire life.

Through the years, Telfair has had a number of unfortunate legal problems ranging from weapon possession to drug possession.

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 03: Sebastian Telfair #31 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during a game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on November 3, 2014 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

But the health and welfare benefit plan fraud was the biggest issue by far. He was one of 18 former NBA players arrested for defrauding the fund.

Now 40 years of age, Telfair will have a lot of soul-searching to do as he prepares to report to prison.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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