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Sebastian Telfair, a 2004 NBA Draft first-round selection, has faced multiple 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 term in the same federal prison that houses disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Telfair told TMZ Combs is maintaining a positive outlook as he serves his time.
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Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair departs after being arraigned in federal court Oct. 7, 2021, in New York City. Telfair was one of 18 people indicted for allegedly trying to defraud the NBA’s healthcare plan. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
“Diddy’s holding it down. He’s doing what he gotta do. And where he’s at, they’re going to help him,” Telfair told the outlet.
EX-NBA STAR SEBASTIAN TELFAIR PLEADS TO TRUMP PARDON BEFORE REPORTING TO JAIL
Earlier this year, a jury found Combs guilty on two counts of transporting individuals for the purpose of prostitution. He was acquitted on more serious charges.
In October, a judge sentenced Combs to 50 months behind bars. He was subsequently transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a federal prison in New Jersey known as Fort Dix, where Telfair also served his time.
Rapper Sean Combs attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (John Shearer/Getty Images)
Telfair also noted he “couldn’t imagine how Combs felt” considering the lifestyle he grew accustomed to after his rise to fame. However, the former pro basketball player said he believes this period of adjustment 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 benefits plan in a scheme 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 US Airways Center Jan. 4, 2013, in Phoenix, Ariz. (Jennifer Stewart/USA Today Sports)
Several years earlier, in April 2019, the former Portland Trail Blazers guard was convicted on one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The conviction stemmed from a January 2017 arrest.
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The 40-year-old Telfair is now turning his attention to Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 basketball league, the Big3.
“No one knows this yet, but the contract is signed,” he said. “I’m coming for the MVP.”
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