NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A film project has earned former Boston Celtics forward Glen 鈥淏ig Baby鈥� Davis a temporary reprieve from the start of his three-year prison term for a fraud conviction in Manhattan federal court.
Judge Valerie E. Caproni on Wednesday said Davis can wait until Oct. 22 to start serving his three-year, four-month stint for defrauding an insurance plan for NBA players and their families. She postponed his Sunday deadline to report to prison for seven weeks after his lawyer said he's working to complete a documentary film project on his life.
A member of the Celtics' 2008 title team, Davis was among about two dozen former players and others, including doctors, who were convicted over the past few years of cheating the NBA Players鈥� Health and Benefit Welfare Plan of over $5 million.
On Tuesday, attorney Brendan White requested the delay for Davis, citing a Hollywood production company's need to finish its project. White wrote that delays in the project were caused by difficulties arranging interviews with professional teammates and colleagues who need to speak with Davis on film.
The lawyer also wrote that film revenue 鈥渃ould go a long way鈥� toward satisfying $80,000 in restitution.
In her order granting the postponement, Caproni wrote that Davis 鈥渙wes significant restitution鈥� to a victim and she hopes that 鈥渙ptimism about the financial rewards of the film is warranted.鈥�
At a May 9 sentencing, Davis referenced an injury that derailed his career and said that for the past five or six years, 鈥淚've been struggling because basketball was taken from me.鈥�
鈥淭hat's all I know. I was expert at that,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut when I lost basketball, I lost myself.鈥�
His lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, said at sentencing that Davis had faced a 鈥渃olossal streak of bad luck鈥� and was so destitute that he once asked her for $800 so he could keep his phone working.
Caproni said at the time, though, that Davis hadn't fully cooperated with Probation Department officers and hadn't taken steps to address his problems.
A federal prosecutor, Ryan Finkel, told the judge at sentencing that Davis was 鈥減robably the most successful basketball player鈥� caught in the insurance conspiracy.
鈥淗e was on a championship team,鈥� Finkel said.
Davis, 38, played for the Celtics, Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers from 2007 to 2015 after leading Louisiana State University to the 2006 NCAA championship game.
Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press
