A one-time New York basketball prodigy will be home for the holidays.
Former NBA guard Sebastian Telfair is out of prison after serving several months at the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix in New Jersey, according to TMZ.
The 40-year-old was released from Bureau of Prisons custody earlier this week, ending a stint that began in August when he was ordered to serve time for violating the conditions of his supervised release tied to a health care fraud conviction.
Telfair had previously pleaded guilty in 2023 as part of a case alleging he and more than a dozen other ex-NBA players submitted false medical and dental claims to the league’s health and welfare benefit plan.
Telfair’s violation stemmed from his failure to complete court-ordered community service and report to his U.S. Probation Officer as required under his conditional release.
This led a judge to revoke his probation and send him to federal prison for a period that was expected to run into the winter.
In an Instagram video shared on social media after his release, Telfair appeared in good spirits, saying that he was eager to return to his family and loved ones after taking care of himself.
TMZ reported that Telfair’s time at Fort Dix included at least one high-profile encounter with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The pair were photographed talking in the prison yard in November after Diddy’s 50-month sentence for a pair of prostitution convictions.
As part of post-release orders, Telfair must abide by certain conditions, which include abstaining from drugs and alcohol and completing a class and paper on financial responsibility, per TMZ.
Telfair’s NBA career spanned 10 seasons, beginning in 2004, when he was drafted 13th overall out of Brooklyn’s Abraham Lincoln High School by the Trail Blazers.
Over his career, he played for multiple teams, including the Celtics, Timberwolves, Clippers, Cavaliers, Suns, Raptors and Thunder.
Telfair, a superstar at Lincoln and the focal point of the 2005 ESPN documentary “Through The Fire,” averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 assists per game in his NBA career.
His best individual seasons were with the T-Wolves, when he recorded 9.6 points and 5.2 assists across the 2007-08 and 08-09 seasons.
He last played in the NBA in 2015.
