Ex-NBA Celebrity Sebastian Telfair Petitions President Donald Trump for a Presidential Pardon
Sebastian Telfair, a former NBA player known for his time with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics, has been ordered to serve six months in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release related to a healthcare fraud case.
Telfair was among 18 former NBA players charged in October 2021 for defrauding the NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan, pocketing about $2.5 million. The healthcare fraud case involved submitting false dental and medical claims to the NBA's benefits plan.
In the days leading up to his report date, Telfair publicly pleaded with former President Donald Trump to grant him a pardon to avoid prison. He emphasized that he wanted to stay home with his young child and claimed the prison sentence was unfair. However, as of his reporting to prison on August 13, 2025, it appears no pardon had been granted yet.
The breach of supervised release conditions that led to Telfair's prison sentence involved failing to abide by the terms of his conditional supervised release, including not living up to his court-ordered community service and not reporting to the U.S. Probation Office.
Telfair's NBA career spanned ten years, during which he played with eight teams. He averaged 7.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 21.5 minutes per contest in 564 career NBA regular-season games (193 starts).
Other players involved in the fraud case include Telfair's ex-Celtics teammate Tony Allen, a six-time All-Defensive team member, and Glen "Big Baby" Davis, a former Boston Celtics star and 2008 NBA champion, who was given a 40-month sentence in May 2024.
As Telfair prepares for prison time, he has stated that he will use his time to better himself if a pardon is not forthcoming. However, no public indication exists that Trump is currently considering his request.
[1] https://www.sportico.com/amp/2022/06/23/sebastian-telfair-sentenced-to-six-months-in-prison-for-violating-terms-of-conditional-release-in-health-care-fraud-case/ [2] https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34526298/ex-nba-player-sebastian-telfair-sentenced-six-months-prison-health-care-fraud-case [3] https://www.si.com/nba/2022/06/24/sebastian-telfair-sentenced-prison-healthcare-fraud [5] https://www.tmz.com/2022/08/09/sebastian-telfair-reported-to-prison-for-healthcare-fraud-case/
- Sebastian Telfair, who played for multiple NBA teams and averaged a certain number of points, rebounds, and assists, has been sentenced to six months in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release related to a healthcare fraud case involving the NBA's benefit plan, for which he was charged in October 2021.
- Former NBA players, including Sebastian Telfair and his ex-teammate Tony Allen, among others, were charged with defrauding the NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan, pocketing approximately $2.5 million through false dental and medical claims.
- In addition to Telfair, notable names like Glen "Big Baby" Davis, a former Boston Celtics star and 2008 NBA champion, were given 40-month sentences in a related case.
- The general public can follow the developments in this case through various sports, sports analysis, and crime and justice news outlets, including Sportico, ESPN, SI, and TMZ.
- Despite publicly pleading with former President Donald Trump for a pardon to avoid prison, Telfair has been ordered to serve his six-month sentence, starting on August 13, 2025, with no public indication that Trump is currently considering his request.
