Sebastian Telfair arrested on gun charges in Brooklyn
Former NBA point guard Sebastian Telfair was arrested early Sunday morning on gun-related charges, as first reported by NBC New York.
Police in Brooklyn pulled Telfair over after he began to drive with his headlights off. As the officers approached the car, they smelled marijuana and the car began to drive away. Telfair and the other man in the car, 18-year-old Jami Thomas, were arrested after the officers saw a lit marijuana cigarette on the car’s dashboard.
Police then searched the car and turned up three handguns and semiautomatic rifle, all loaded, as well as a ballistic vest, more ammunition and two bags of marijuana.
This is Telfair’s second gun-related arrest in New York City. He was arrested in 2007 after police found a loaded handgun in his car during a speeding stop. Telfair pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in that case, was sentenced to three years probation and suspended three games by the NBA.
Telfair, like his cousin, Stephon Marbury, was a prized prospect at Lincoln High School in Coney Island. He made the jump directly from high school to the NBA and was the 13th pick in the 2004 draft. Telfair struggled to find consistent success in the NBA, though, playing for eight different teams in his 10 NBA seasons. The 32-year-old’s last NBA game came in November 2014 with the Thunder.