Former NBA big man Glen Davis, who played for the Celtics, Magic, and Clippers across eight NBA seasons from 2007-15, has been sentenced by a federal judge to 40 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme to defraud the league’s health and welfare benefit plan, according to Alex Prewitt of ESPN.
Davis was one of 18 former NBA players originally charged back in 2021 over the fraud scheme, which involved submitting false claims for millions of dollars in dental and medical expenses that were never incurred.
According to Prewitt, Davis was found guilty of multiple fraud charges, as well as conspiring to make false statements, and was ordered to pay $80K in restitution. His sentence also includes three years’ supervised release following his time in prison — as part of his supervised release, he’ll be required to attend a financial management class and receive mandatory drug treatment.
Former NBA swingman Terrence Williams, the alleged ringleader of the operation, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last summer. Keyon Dooling (30 months), Alan Anderson (24 months), and Will Bynum (18 months) are among the other former players who have been sentenced to time in prison. Tony Allen, perhaps the most notable NBA veteran involved in the case, avoided prison and was sentenced to community service and supervision.
The 35th overall pick of the 2007 draft out of LSU, Davis spent his first four NBA seasons in Boston, earning Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year votes during that time and winning a championship as a rookie in 2008.
The 6’9″ forward/center, also known as “Big Baby,” was traded to Orlando in 2011 and spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Magic before concluding his NBA career with a season-and-a-half as a Clipper. He averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game across 514 career regular season appearances.
According to Prewitt, some of Davis’ former coaches and multiple NBPA officials, including executive director Andre Iguodala, sent pre-sentencing documents to the court on the 38-year-old’s behalf, requesting leniency. Davis’ defense attorney Sabrina Shroff argued for a time-served sentence with requirements for “community service, mental health therapy, and treatment for a cannabis addiction,” Prewitt adds.
However, the judge opted for a harsher sentence, siding with the prosecution, which argued that Davis made a “sophisticated and intelligent effort” to cover up his misconduct. Davis had maintained his innocence throughout the legal process, per Prewitt.