NBA: Former First-Round Pick Gets Spiritual Support From Childhood Friend

Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair will spend the next three and a half years in prison for gun possession charges. This was the result after he was convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon back in April. Originally, he was facing up to 15 years behind bars.

The development is the latest blow in the flailing career of the former first-round pick. When he entered the NBA back in 2004, most considered him a promising young player. As a young player, he was branded a basketball prodigy and his senior season at Abraham Lincoln High School was even famously documented in "Through The Fire". But somehow, he went astray as his off-court woes started to pile up starting in 2007.

“The mandatory prison sentence he received today is required by law and he has now been held accountable for the unlawful conduct,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement in a report by the Associated Press.

Regardless, one person who is praying for him is Lance Stephenson. The 28-year-old had his share of issues and struggles in the NBA but was clearly emotional when his old pal was sentenced to prison, TMZ Sports reported.

"I'm trying to support as much as I can but it's very hard. That situation's very tough. I'm praying for him too. I think he'll be alright," the 40th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft said.

Stephenson said that he grew up playing ball with Telfair and believes that the 34-year-old is a good person. He is confident that the 2010 Big East Rookie of the Year can still get his life back once his prison sentence is done.

"I know he's a good kid," said Stephenson. "He's got great spirit. I know it's very tough on him and his family."

Looking at his NBA career, Telfair hardly lived up to expectations. He played for eight different teams and hardly made an impact. He played a total of 564 NBA games and holds career averages of 7.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

His last stint in the NBA was with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He would take his act to the Chinese Basketball Association in 2014, suiting up for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. Telfair is the cousin of another former NBA player, Stephon Marbury. Incidentally, Marbury made a name for himself in China - something that Telfair would have probably done as well had it not for his off-court issues.