Former Celtic Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his involvement in an alleged scheme to defraud the league’s healthcare benefits plan on Thursday.
Davis, who was previously convicted of submitting a total of $132,000 worth of fabricated medical claims for reimbursement.
Authorities allege that Davis is one of several dozen former NBA players who made false medical claims as part of the league’s healthcare benefits program — 18 of whom have been convicted.
Davis was a member of the Celtics from 2007 to 2011, helping the team win a championship in 2008. In 2008, he averaged 7 points in 21.5 minutes per game. During the ‘09 playoff run, Davis started all 14 playoff games at center, averaging 15.8 points per game. Following his Celtics tenure, he played three years on the Magic and two years on the Clippers, last playing in the NBA in 2015.
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
The Charges
In October of 2023, Glen Davis was found guilty of healthcare fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to make false statements, and conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud. One such example of the fraud was Davis submitting $27,200 worth of dental work at a Beverly Hills dental office in 2018, when he was actually in Las Vegas at the time, per USA Today.
His 40-month sentence is the longest any NBA player has received besides for Terrence Williams, who was the alleged ringleader of the scheme. Will Bynum and Keyon Dooling headline the list of other prominent former players convicted with healthcare fraud. As part of the verdict, Davis was also ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution, as well as attend classes related to financial management and receive mandatory drug treatment.
The Broader Context
Big Baby’s verdict pales in comparison to numerous prominent players’ violent offenses — in particular, former and current players who have been convicted of domestic violence. Former Kings guard Darren Collison, for example, received just a 20-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to domestic battery.
Evan Turner, also a former Celtic who overlapped with Davis in the league for two seasons, spoke out in support of a more lenient sentence, noting that former NBA quarterback Brett Favre, who allegedly defrauded Mississippi welfare recipients out of $700,000, but has avoided prison time.
They Glen Davis 40 months for health care fraud but the Brett “finesse fest” Favre is still galloping around in the bugle boy jeans that he gave to Russ Wilson
I guess it’s “protect the ‘QB’ at all times” ♂️ I just wish they would’ve done the same for Vick
— Evan Turner (@thekidet) May 10, 2024
Andre Iguodala, the executive director of the National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) submitted testimony in support of Davis in court.
”On behalf of all of our NBPA members past and present, I respectfully ask that you consider Glen’s accomplishments and the positive impact he has had on those around him when determining his sentence,” Iguodala wrote in his letter. “I recognize the seriousness of this legal matter and appreciate the thoroughness of the judicial process and ask for leniency with these factors in mind.”
