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Nine-Year NBA Veteran Scammed for $1M

Two former NBA players were scammed out of a lot of money.
Joey Linn|
Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13), forward Terrence Jones (6), guard Patrick Beverley (2), forward Chandler Parsons (25), center Dwight Howard (12) at Toyota Center.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13), forward Terrence Jones (6), guard Patrick Beverley (2), forward Chandler Parsons (25), center Dwight Howard (12) at Toyota Center. | Andrew Richardson-Imagn Images

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Memphis Grizzlies

It was reported by several outlets on Friday that a man had been convicted of defrauding two former NBA players for a combined $8M.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote, “A Georgia businessman was convicted Friday on five counts by a federal jury in Manhattan of defrauding former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons of a combined $8 million in 2021.”

Howard was reportedly scammed out of $7 while Parsons sent $1M to the scammer.

“Parsons was tricked into a fraudulent investment in the development of the career of former No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman,” Windhorst added. “Government lawyers have indicated they plan to argue for a sentence of 11 to 14 years for Darden, who was also convicted of a multimillion fraud scheme in 2016.”

Parsons and Howard were teammate on the Houston Rockets for one season (2013-14). Also spending three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Parsons infamously received a four-year, $94M contract with the franchise.

This contract did not work out for Memphis, as Parsons appeared in just 95 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 7.2 points. Parsons also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks. 

Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons
Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) and forward Chandler Parsons (25) at FedExForum. | Justin Ford-Imagn Images

Howard, who reportedly lost much more than Parsons in this fraud scheme, is a future Hall of Fame center. The former Orlando Magic star made eight All-NBA teams in his career, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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