Sebastian Telfair racked up almost $19 million in the NBA, but he said his finances ultimately took a nosedive, causing him to move back to the projects before reporting to prison.
Per Complex, Telfair, 40, touched on his finances and relocating to Mermaid Houses in Coney Island during the first episode of his documentary, Sebastian Telfair: Finals Days of Freedom.
“The day I picked up a basketball was the day I was for sure knowing I was going to make it out,” Telfair said. “After being the No. 1 player in New York City history, I turned that dream into a reality. I played over 10 years in the NBA and made tens of millions of dollars. I had everything I ever dreamed of.”
“But after a series of legal issues and personal problems, my life has become something I could never imagine,” he added. “I’m right back to where it all began. Back in Coney Island, back in the projects, back in the fire.”
Telfair also explained how his finances went down the drain. “[I] end up getting locked up in 2017, unlicensed firearms and all that BS,” Telfair said in reference to his 2017 gun possession arrest and being sentenced to three and half years in prison for the crime. The former Oklahoma City Thunder star appealed his conviction, and it was ultimately overturned in 2023.
“Fighting the feds and my divorce affected my finances,” he explained. “Now I got to run around broke.”
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Telfair was among other former NBA players who were implicated in the league’s healthcare fraud scheme.
The 40-year-old was initially placed on supervised release after his conviction in the healthcare fraud case. But he was ultimately ordered to serve six months behind bars after he failed to meet the conditions of his supervised release.
Telfair is serving his conviction in FCI Fort Dix, the low-security prison where embattled music executive Sean “Diddy” Combs is being held. Prior to reporting to prison, the former NBA star asked President Donald Trump for a pardon in August.
