DeJuan Blair faces potential jail time, Spurs subpoenaed in jewelry lawsuit

San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair owes more than $53,000 to a jeweler. (D. Clarke Evans/Getty Images) San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair owes more than
DeJuan Blair faces potential jail time, Spurs subpoenaed in jewelry lawsuit
DeJuan Blair faces potential jail time, Spurs subpoenaed in jewelry lawsuit /

San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair owes more than $53,000 to a jeweler. (D. Clarke Evans/Getty Images)

San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair owes more than $53,000 to a San Antonio-based jeweler for purchases he made on credit in 2010, and the Spurs have been subpoenaed in the lawsuit.

According to Michelle Mondo of the San Antonio Express-News, team officials have not returned all of the "responsive documents" and the attorney for the owner of Zareem Merchant, the jewelery store, said the team has been "uncooperative."

But the Spurs did turn over some documents, and they show that Blair used the jewelry as collateral for a $30,000 loan the team made to him. The report also says that if Blair fails to appear in court on Wednesday or continues to ignore the lawsuit filed in October, the Spurs center could face jail time for being in contempt.

Blair, who turns 24 in two weeks, signed with the Spurs in 2009 and will have made $3.8 million by the time he becomes a free agent this summer. According to the Express-News report, Blair failed to pay for items he took during eight visits to the store over a one month period beginning in March 2010:

One visit topped $11,000 and included a $4,000 diamond watch and $3,000 diamond ring, according to the receipts filed with the lawsuit. On another visit, Blair picked out more than $12,000 worth of merchandise, including what may be a watch but was only described as a “men’s Gucci with Dia” for $5,946, according to the documents. In all, he owes a total of $53,032.26.

Because Blair's agent, Happy Walters, has also been unresponsive, a judge ordered that the notice be served to Blair at his residence. There's no word yet on whether Blair appeared in court on Wednesday.


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