Sebastian Telfair has revealed the reason why he had to move back to the projects before he went to prison.
The former NBA player opened up about how he went from making millions in the NBA to having to move back to Mermaid Houses in Coney Island in 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 in the episode. “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,” Telfair continued. “I’m right back to where it all began. Back in Coney Island, back in the projects, back in the fire.”
Telfair, who made nearly $19 million in the NBA, later revealed more about his financial situation and what led to him losing his money.
“[I] end up getting locked up in 2017, unlicensed firearms and all that BS,” Telfair revealed, referencing a 2017 arrest for gun possession, which ended in a three and a half year prison sentence. That conviction was overturned on appeal in 2023.
“Fighting the feds and my divorce affected my finances," he continued. "Now I got to run around broke.”
The federal case in question was Telfair's involvement in a health care fraud scheme that defrauded the NBA’s health plan. He pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud and Wire Fraud in early 2024 and avoided prison time with a time served sentence. However, after failing to abide by the terms of his release, he was sentenced to six months of prison this past June. He started serving his term in August.
Telfair is currently locked up in FCI Fort Dix with Sean “Diddy” Combs — and the two were spotted together in photos obtained by TMZ. While Diddy has a 50-month stay to deal with, Telfair should be out in three.
In August, Telfair publicly pleaded for President Trump to issue him a pardon.