Former NBA Vet Hits Rock Bottom: Sebastian Telfair Sentenced On Gun Charges

Sebastian Telfair has officially hit rock bottom. On Monday, the former high school phenom and NBA journeyman was condemned to three and a half years in prison for illegal gun possession.

In 2017, the 34-year-old Brooklyn native was arrested in New York after the NYPD discovered a cache of firearms and ammunition in his vehicle. In April, he was convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and may face up to 15 years behind bars.

On Monday, the Brooklyn Supreme Court handed the verdict to the former basketball prodigy. According to witnesses on his trial, a visibly shaken Telfair pleaded to the court not to impose the punishment.

He said that "I'm 34. I can go play in China for another six years, take care of my family." Sebastian also begged for a chance, saying, "Please don't take me from society right now."

Eric Gonzalez, a District Attorney, designated on the former NBA player's case, said that "the mandatory prison sentence he received today is required by law." He added that Telfair "has now been held accountable for the unlawful conduct."

In 2004, Telfair was drafted 13th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers after a legendary career at Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High. He merited national player of the year honors as a high school athlete and was touted along with LeBron James as the future of basketball.

In the pros, the undersized guard played for eight teams in his 10-year career in the NBA. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 564 games in the association.

Telfair was featured on the cover of Slam magazine in 2002 with fellow high school superstar LeBron James. The magazine headlined that the pair was "about to rule the world." On Monday, Sebastian's basketball overtures are officially over.

In the late 2000s, Telfair was involved in a similar gun possession incidents. In 2007, he was detained on a gun possession charge after he was pulled over for speeding in Yonkers, N.Y. In 2006, the Trail Blazers fined the point guard after a loaded gun was discovered on a team plane hidden on Telfair's pillowcase.

On 2013, he shared with Sports Illustrated what happened in the 2007 arrest. He said that he had the gun for "no particular reason," adding that "just having it, being dumb," cost him his NBA career.

On his hearing, Judge John Hecht told the former pro, that "you've achieved greatness in your life... this case doesn't take that away."