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Sebastian Telfair, selected in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft, has faced numerous legal issues over the years.
Telfair was released from prison this week after serving time for a probation violation related to his 2023 NBA health care fraud conviction. The former Phoenix Suns guard served his sentence in the same federal prison that houses disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Telfair told TMZ Combs keeps a positive attitude while serving his sentence.
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Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair leaves after being arraigned in federal court on October 7, 2021 in New York. Telfair was one of 18 people indicted for allegedly trying to defraud the NBA’s health plan. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
“Diddy is holding up. He’s doing what he needs to do. And where he’s at, they’re going to help him,” Telfair told the outlet.
EX-NBA STAR SEBASTIAN TELFAIR PLEADS FOR TRUMP PARDON BEFORE REPORTING TO PRISON
Earlier this year, a jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transporting persons for the purpose of prostitution. He was acquitted of more serious charges.
In October, a judge sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison. He was then transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a federal prison in New Jersey known as Fort Dix, where Telfair also served his sentence.
Rapper Sean Combs attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, California. (John Shearer/Getty Images)
Telfair also noted that he “couldn’t imagine how Combs felt” given the lifestyle he became accustomed to after his rise to fame. However, the former professional basketball player said he thinks this adjustment period could prove beneficial for the Grammy Award winner.
In October 2021, Telfair was among 18 former NBA players charged with defrauding the league’s health care and welfare plan in a scheme that investigators said involved claiming fraudulent medical expenses.
Phoenix Suns guard Sebastian Telfair drives the ball up the court during a game against the Utah Jazz at the US Airways Center on January 4, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Jennifer Stewart/USA Today Sports)
Several years earlier, in April 2019, the former Portland Trail Blazers guard was convicted of one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The conviction stems from a January 2017 arrest.
Telfair, 40, is now turning his attention to Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 basketball league, Big3.
“No one knows yet, but the contract is signed,” he said. “I’m coming for the MVP.”
