Sebastian Telfair, the former NBA guard once hailed as one of New York City’s brightest high school basketball stars, is now facing a six-month prison stint, and he’s making a last-minute plea to Donald Trump for help.
Telfair, 39, told TMZ Sports this week that he hopes the former president will step in and grant him a pardon before he reports to jail on Tuesday. His conviction stems from his involvement in the NBA health care fraud scandal that saw 18 former players charged in 2021 for defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan out of about $2.5 million. The scam allegedly involved submitting fake medical and dental invoices.
Initially, Telfair avoided prison time. He received a suspended sentence and was placed on conditional supervised release. But according to Sportico, things went downhill fast. By June, he was accused of failing to meet the terms of his release, skipping court-ordered community service and not reporting to the U.S. Probation Office. That landed him back in court, and now, behind bars.
Telfair insists the whole thing is a paperwork mess. “It’s definitely some bulls—,” he said, adding that his track record since sentencing proves he’s been trying to do good. “Trump, go check in on my story, and you’re definitely going to want to pardon me. You’ll hold me accountable and want me to continue to go do good. But I did too good to be sending anybody to jail.”
He believes the violation is “super unfair” and claims he never intentionally ignored the court’s requirements. If Trump doesn’t come through, Telfair says he’ll use his time in jail to “improve himself” and stay productive.
Telfair’s career once carried the weight of huge expectations. Drafted in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, he went on to play for eight different teams over a decade, including stints with the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns. Known for his flashy ball-handling and lightning-quick drives, he was a household name in New York’s basketball scene before he even turned pro.
But the past few years have been a very different story. The 2021 fraud charges shocked the sports world, pulling several NBA veterans into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. For Telfair, this latest setback could tarnish whatever chances he had left of a clean post-basketball image, unless Trump decides to answer his call.
As of now, there’s no indication from Trump or his team on whether he’ll consider Telfair’s request. With the clock ticking down to his report date, Telfair’s fate rests on whether a high-profile pardon can save him from serving his sentence.
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