Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair recounts his time in prison with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
NEWNow you can listen to News articles!
Sebastian Telfair, a first-round pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, has faced multiple legal problems over the years.
Telfair was released from prison this week after serving time for a parole violation related to his NBA health care fraud conviction in 2023. The former Phoenix Suns guard served his sentence in the same federal prison that houses disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Telfair told TMZ that Combs maintains a positive outlook while serving his sentence.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON News
Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair walks away after being arraigned in federal court on October 7, 2021 in New York City. Telfair was one of 18 people charged with allegedly attempting to defraud the NBA’s health care plan. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
“Diddy’s holding him down. He’s doing what he has to do. And wherever he is, they’ll help him,” Telfair told the outlet.
FORMER NBA STAR SEBASTIAN TELFAIR BEGGS TRUMP’S FORGIVENESS BEFORE REPORTING TO JAIL
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 behind bars. He was later transferred from the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center 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” considering the lifestyle he became accustomed to after his rise to fame. However, the former professional 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 accused of defrauding the league’s health care and social benefits 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 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 stemmed from an arrest in January 2017.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE News APP
Telfair, 40, now turns his attention to Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 basketball league, the Big3.
“No one knows yet, but the contract is signed,” he said. “I’m coming for the MVP.”
Follow News Digital sports coverage in Xand subscribe to the News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Chantz Martin is a sports writer for News Digital.