On Oct. 23, former NBA champion Glen “Big Baby” Davis began a 40-month prison sentence in Minnesota for defrauding the NBA’s health care benefits plan.
In a somber Instagram video post, Big Baby appeared on the verge of tears, flashing a peace sign as he faced accountability for his role in a health care fraud scheme. The ex-player shared the emotional farewell with fans before being transported to prison.
Davis Heads to the Big House
Once a Boston Celtics power forward and 2008 NBA champion who earned $34.7 million in his career, Big Baby now heads to the big house — a Duluth, Minnesota, prison facility — maintaining his innocence despite his November 2023 conviction in a high-profile fraud scandal, according to The Source.
The scheme, running from 2017 to 2021, was orchestrated by Terrence Williams, a former NBA player who was a first-round draft pick for the New Jersey Nets in 2009, according to court documents.
Williams, the alleged ringleader, recruited former athletes, including Big Baby and Will Bynum, a former Detroit Pistons guard, to submit fraudulent claims through the NBA’s Health and Welfare Benefit Plan, federal investigators claim.
The players sought reimbursement for fake medical treatments and expenses, collecting roughly $2.5 million among just eight players alone, according to The Associated Press.
Davis specifically is reported to have submitted false claims for treatments that never occurred, using fake invoices from healthcare providers.
A federal investigation in 2021 revealed that Davis and 17 other players were involved in submitting nearly $4 million in false claims, “with the defendants pocketing about $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds, according to ESPN.
With many of the players being far away from medical offices — some out of state or even out of the country — and instances of their names being misspelled on claims, the investigation raised glaring red flags about the legitimacy of their submissions.
These discrepancies helped indicate a pattern of fraudulent activity, suggesting there was a coordinated effort to exploit the NBA’s health care benefits system.
Leading up to the sentencing, Big Baby claimed innocence in previous media interviews.
In an old appearance on Vlad TV, republished on May 10, the day of his sentencing, Big Baby claimed he did not receive any money, stated he was free on bond, indicating he wasn’t at risk, and expressed that he believed he was lumped into a situation where he was none the wiser. The original interview was published on Nov. 4, 2021.
