Sebastian Telfair’s legal woes continue: Appeals court rejects ex-NBAer’s challenge to gun possession conviction
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Ex-NBA point guard Sebastian Telfair was trapped this week by a legal double-team.
The one-time Coney Island hoops legend’s bid to overturn a 2019 conviction for weapon possession was rejected by a state appeals court just one day before Telfair was indicted on charges of ripping off the league’s health care program.
“We find (the evidence) was legally sufficient to support the defendant’s conviction of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree,” read the Wednesday ruling from a state Supreme Court Appellate Division panel. “... Upon reviewing the record here, we are satisfied that the verdict of guilt was not against the weight of the evidence.”
Telfair, 36 does not yet have a new court date or surrender date set for his gun case, and faces up to 3½ years behind bars for his conviction, according to Brooklyn prosecutors.
A call to Telfair’s attorney for comment Thursday on the ruling was not returned as his client, once featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “Watch Me Now,” faced his latest in a series of off-court woes.
The Brooklyn gun possession case dates to June 11, 2017, when Telfair was stopped after making a U-turn while driving his Ford F-150 truck with the headlights off around 2:50 a.m., police said. When Telfair was pulled over, police spotted a marijuana joint in the console and found the loaded weapon in a search of the vehicle.
Telfair went directly from Lincoln High School into the NBA, following his cousin Stephon Marbury into pro basketball as a first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2004. He spent a decade in the NBA, eventually playing for eight teams before retiring after the 2014-15 season.
He was previously arrested on a weapons charge in 2007 during a traffic stop where police found a loaded handgun inside his vehicle, with Telfair receiving three years probation for criminal possession of a gun. His once-promising professional career ended following a 16-game stint far from home with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
