5 NBA players who have been to prison
A number of NBA stars are known to have a “bad-boy” reputation on court, which is usually due to their playing style, or tendency to get into altercations. However, the league's long history has also seen a number of stars getting into trouble with the law off-court.
In most cases, the NBA player in question escaped with community service and fines, with notable players such as Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd getting away without having to spend time in jail, despite being judged guilty.
In this article, we look at 5 NBA players who actually ended up spending time in prison:
NBA Players who have been to prison
Back in 2001, Jason Kidd was arrested and pleaded guilty to “domestic abuse” during his first marriage. The 10-time All-Star was asked to attend anger-management classes for six months, which he continued even after the term was over.
Portland Trail Blazers’ Carmelo Anthony was arrested in 2008 and pleaded guilty to drinking under the influence of alcohol. He was charged with community service and was charged legal fees for the trial.
The following article does not include cases where the NBA players did not actually go to prison
#5 J. R. Smith
Having won two NBA Championships alongside LeBron James throughout his career, J.R. Smith has achieved more than most players do. Back in 2007, however, when the shooting guard was playing his trade for the Denver Nuggets, J.R. Smith was involved in a car accident in which he, along with another person, was severely hurt.
In 2009, Smith plead guilty to running a stop-sign that led to the accident, and was charged with 90 days in prison. He ended up spending only 30 days as two-thirds of the sentence was suspended in favor of community service.
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#4 Delonte West
Delonte West had a successful NBA career as a versatile guard and played for the likes of the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers in a career that spanned almost a decade. However, West was known to be a controversial figure and was the owner of multiple firearms.
In 2009, he was pulled over for a traffic violation while driving a motorbike, and was found with not one but three firearms in his possession. Delonte West was sentenced to prison and later placed under house arrest. He is another NBA star who got away with a crime that ordinary people might have faced more severe consequences for.
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