Most stories of NBA players are from rags to riches. However, there are some who have gone from rags to riches and then back to rags. Such is the case of Sebastian Telfair .
Once touted as the point guard of the future, Telfair's NBA career began with plenty of promise but ended in a lot of disappointment. Sebastian was such a good basketball player in high school that Adidas signed him to a $15 million deal even before he declared for the NBA Draft.
However, that money and everything "Bassy" earned during his NBA career all went down the drain after he retired. Now Telfair's back, living in the projects of New York.
"I played over 10 years in the NBA and made tens of millions of dollars," said Telfair. "I had everything I ever dreamed of. But after a series of legal issues and personal problems, my life has become something I could never have imagined. I'm right back to where it all began - back in Coney Island, back in the projects, back in the fire."
Telfair officially played 10 years in the NBA and earned an estimated $19 million during his career, plus secured endorsement deals. However, after he retired, Sebastian had several brushes with the law that left him in financial distress.
In 2017, Telfair faced a gun charge in New York after a routine traffic stop yielded multiple weapons inside his vehicle. Two years later, his wife, Samantha, filed for divorce. In 2021, he was among 18 former NBA players charged in the league's healthcare fraud. With no regular source of income since retirement, "Bassy's" hard-earned savings were fully drained.
"Fighting the Feds and my divorce affected my finances. Now I got to run around broke. This right here is the same building y'all seen through the fire that I grew up in. It's crazy. Going through my NBA journey and end up right back in the same spot," he added.
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"Bassy" was born to Erica and Otis Telfair in Brooklyn . He grew up and lived in the Surfside Gardens projects in Coney Island, attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. There, Sebastian became a five-star recruit and the No. 6-ranked player in the 2004 class. Telfair declared for the 2004 NBA Draft and was picked 13th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves .
"When I was in the NBA, making the money, doing what I love to do, I always thought that my life would continue to go up and I would just have a sweet retirement and be able to raise my kids. And if somebody told me I was going to end up back in the project, I would have never believed anyone, not for one minute," he continued.
When Telfair comes out of his six-month jail sentence, home will be the same building where he grew up. As Sebastian said in the interview, going back to the projects is both a gift and a curse, and being there is all mental. It is also a poignant reminder that life is not always easy, even when you think you have already made it.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
