NBA players are not exempt from the law and there have been several NBA players who have spent time in jail. Here are 15 NBA players who have been incarcerated.
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NBA players are role models to many fans all across the world. This may not be fair to the players, but it comes with the job. Most players live up to this rule, while others fall short. Sometimes, when they fall short, it is because of a situation that has legal ramifications.
It is important to note that being a professional athlete does not exempt one from the law, and unfortunately, there have been several NBA players who have spent time in jail for various reasons.
Here are 15 NBA players who have been incarcerated.
15. Dennis Rodman
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Dennis Rodman is a player known for his wild behavior, bright hair color, and for his rebounding. Rodman has famously been a “Bad Boy” in his career, from playing with the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons to kicking a cameraman in 1997 as a member of the Chicago Bulls.
When you see what Rodman has done throughout his life and career, including marrying himself at a book signing, you'd think Rodman must have spent a lot of time behind bars. If you ask Rodman, he'd say that this assumption was true.
“I'd say over 100. I was having too many parties in my house, and after seven days straight, it was seven days a week. Seven days a week, 24/7,” Rodman answered after comedian Kevin Hart asked him how many times he's been to jail.
Although Rodman claims he's been to jail over 100 times, the evidence we've found may shock you. Yes, Rodman has had several run-ins with the law, including DUIs in 1999, 2004, and 2018.
Rodman has also been arrested for public drunkenness (1999), misdemeanor battery (1999), causing a hit-and-run accident, lying to police, driving without a license (2016), and misdemeanor battery again (2019). Even with all of these charges, along with the DUIs, Rodman only saw a total of two days in jail that we could find.
For the 1999 public drunkenness arrest, Rodman spent the night in jail before being released. The second time Rodman spent the night in jail was for the 2018 DUI arrest.
In most cases, Rodman was able to avoid jail time by paying fines, doing community service, or attending counseling programs.
It's worth noting that while Rodman has had his share of legal troubles, he has also been involved in many charitable and humanitarian efforts over the years.
14. Charles Barkley
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Charles Barkley is everyone's favorite NBA analyst. He's known for speaking his mind, and his humor is contagious. Barkley wasn't always the lovable character he is today; he was once known as the bad boy of the NBA.
Over the years, Barkley has had several run-ins with the law. In 1991, Barkley was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after getting into a bar fight in Milwaukee.
Barkley was charged with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct. He was eventually found not guilty, as he acted in self-defense.
The 1991 incident would not be Barkley's last problematic bar experience. The very next year, 1992, Barkley found himself in another bar fight, this time in Chicago.
In this fight, a man attacked Barkely with a knife, but Barkely received some help from another NBA player, Jayson Williams (more on that later). Initially, Barkley was charged with aggravated assault, but they were later dropped in this case.
In 1997 Barkley found himself in yet another bar dispute. This time, he threw a bar patron through a window after the man tossed a glass of ice at him.
For this incident, Barkley was charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest without violence. He was jailed for five hours before being released on a $6,000 bond.
In 2008, Barkley was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Scottsdale, Arizona, after running a stop sign. He later pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined $2,000. His sentence would be reduced to only three days after Barkley entered an alcohol treatment program.
Since this DUI incident, Sir Charles has been on his best behavior, staying out of trouble. At least on his best behavior with the law.
13. Corie Blount
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Corie Blount is not a player many NBA fans remember. He played 11 years in the league for seven teams, including the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
Blount played for the Bulls for the first two years of his career, but unfortunately, he played the year Michael Jordan retired, and the year MJ came back and played only 17 games. This means Blount missed out on an NBA championship.
In 2008, Blount was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Police found 29 pounds of marijuana in his home, along with cash and drug paraphernalia. Blount was subsequently charged with felony drug possession and trafficking.
In 2009, Blount pled guilty to a reduced charge of marijuana possession, which was a misdemeanor. As part of the plea deal, the felony drug possession and trafficking charges were dropped.
Blount was sentenced to one year in jail, and he was also required to complete a drug treatment program, pay a $10,000 fine, surrender $34,000 in cash, and two vehicles that were seized when he was arrested.
On top of this, Blount had to perform 250 hours of community service. Since this arrest, Blount has stayed out of trouble, as far as we know.
12. J.R. Smith
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Who doesn't love J.R. Smith? He's been a great role player who won two NBA titles, which included his “shirtless” celebration after winning the 2016 NBA championship.
Smith is also unfortunately known for his blunder in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. This isn't all Smith is known for, as he is also known for the time he spent 30 days in jail in 2009.
Smith was involved in a car crash that killed his friend and passenger in 2007. Initially, Smith was given a 90-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to reckless driving.
Smith's sentence was reduced to 30 days in jail, and he'd have to perform 500 hours of community service. On top of this terrible arrest, Smith also had smaller arrests, like when he was cited in May 2011 for operating a scooter without a valid driver’s license.
For this scooter incident, Smith was charged with a misdemeanor of operating a vehicle without a valid license. He was ordered to go to trial, and when he didn't show up, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Smith would later plead no contest to the charge and was ordered to pay a fine and court costs. In 2018, Smith was charged for breaking a fan's phone who was filming him.
Smith paid $600 in restitution to the fan whose cell phone he broke in order to have a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge dropped. In 2020, Smith got into a fight with a protester over the death of George Floyd, who broke his truck's window.
Smith was not charged in the incident as he acted in self-defense and has been free from any trouble since. We hope J.R. Smith continues to stay out of trouble.
11. Allen Iverson
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Allen Iverson was one of the most polarizing players to ever play the game of basketball. From his cornrows hairstyle to his tattoos, Iverson's swag rubbed off on fans worldwide.
Iverson may have been a star, but that doesn't mean he was free from controversy. “The Answer” as Iverson was known, saw his fair share of problems, from not wanting to practice to falling into problems with the law.
Iverson's problems with the law began well before he ever stepped foot on an NBA court. Here is a brief summary of his arrest history:
In 1993 Iverson was arrested and charged with three felony counts and one misdemeanor count following a bowling alley brawl in Hampton, Virginia. He was later convicted of the felony charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison, with 10 years suspended, but the sentence was suspended, and he served four months in jail.
Iverson was arrested in 1997 for carrying a concealed weapon and charged with possession of marijuana following a traffic stop in Richmond, Virginia. He pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to three years of probation with 100 hours of community service.
In 2002, Iverson was charged with several offenses, including assault, criminal trespassing, and carrying an unlicensed gun after allegedly forcing his way into his cousin's apartment while looking for his wife and threatening the occupants with a gun. The charges were later dropped.
Iverson would find himself in more trouble in 2013 when his now ex-wife filed court papers claiming that Iverson had abducted their five children and was holding them at a hotel in Georgia. Police were called, and Iverson was taken into custody, but no charges were filed.
As you can see, Iverson had many run-ins with the law but only spent four months in jail.
10. Metta Sandiford-Artest
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NBA fans all remember Metta Sandiford-Artest when he was known as Ron Artest for his involvement in the Malice At The Palace in Detroit... The worst brawl in NBA history.
It's no surprise, with that incident on his record, that Artest has spent time in jail. Artest would not serve time for his role in the brawl, in which he was charged with a single count of assault and battery. For this, Artest would serve a year of probation and have to perform community service.
Artest found himself in more trouble in 2007 when he was arrested on domestic violence charges after allegedly assaulting his wife. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 20 days in jail.
Artest's sentence would eventually be reduced to 10 days in jail, in a work release program, and he had to serve 100 hours of community service. So, the player, formerly known as Ron Artest, did serve time in jail, but considering his image after the brawl in Detroit, spending only 10 days behind bars may come as a shock to some fans.
9. Oliver Miller
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Oliver Miller is a basketball player known as “The Big O.” Of course, he shares the same nickname as NBA legend Oscar Robertson, but Miller would not be nearly as successful.
Miller played nine years in the NBA and even reached the Finals in 1993 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. Still, Miller never made much noise on the court, but he sure did off the court in 2011.
Miller was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, possessing a handgun, using a handgun in a violent crime, possessing a handgun in a vehicle, and disorderly conduct. This all stemmed from an incident where Miller pistol-whipped his girlfriend's brother at a backyard cookout.
Miller eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and possessing a handgun. He was sentenced to a five-year sentence with five years of probation afterward. Four years were suspended in Miller's sentence, so he only spent a year in jail.
8. Ruben Patterson
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Ruben Patterson was known as the “Kobe Stopper” for the tough defense he played on the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Unfortunately for Patterson, he could not defend himself against being arrested multiple times.
Patterson was arrested in 2001 for misdemeanor assault for an incident involving a man in a nightclub. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to one day in jail and a $500 fine.
In 2002, Patterson was arrested for felony charges of domestic abuse against his wife. Patterson was taken to jail and released after teammate Derek Anderson posted $1,000 bail. The charges were later dropped when his wife didn't want to proceed, and they later divorced.
Patterson was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in 2010 when his blood alcohol level was .117. He was sentenced to a $500 fine and a three-day driving program. Patterson was also ordered not to consume alcohol for 18 months.
In 2019, Patterson was arrested and pleaded guilty for back child support payments. It was said that Patterson owed more than $100,000 in child support. Recently in 2021, Patterson was charged, along with 17 other former players, with frauding the NBA healthcare system.
At the time of this writing, Patterson has not been convicted, but it's been said Federal prosecutors have asked for 10 to 16 months of jail time. These arrests are bad, but this wasn't the worst of Patterson's life.
Patterson was charged with third-degree attempted rape in 2000 after a woman who worked as his children's nanny accused him of sexually assaulting her. The incident allegedly occurred at Patterson's home in September of that year.
Patterson maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and ultimately, he made an Alford plea in exchange for prosecutors lessening his sentence. He was sentenced to 365 days in jail, but a judge suspended 350 days, so Patterson only served 15 days.
On top of the 15 days, Patterson was also sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to undergo counseling. He was ordered to register as a sex offender in the state of Washington, as well.
7. Jack Molinas
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Jack Molinas was a player who had a lot of potential. That's what the Fort Wayne Pistons thought when they drafted Molinas third overall in the 1953 NBA Draft.
Molinas' career would be halted after just 32 career games after he was caught gambling and fixing basketball games. It was said Molinas was making $50,000 per week from his gambling, which was great when you realize the average NBA player made between $4000 to $5000 per year in salary.
After being caught gambling on NBA games, Molinas was banned from the league for life. This wasn't the first time Molinas would be caught fixing games. In fact, he was one of the masterminds behind the 1961 NCAA Men's Basketball Point-Shaving Scandal.
Molinas was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in jail for his role in the NCAA points-shaving scandal. He would only serve five years in jail before being released.
In 1973, Molinas was arrested and charged with the interstate shipment of pornography. Molinas was released on a $10,000 bond. Around two in the morning of August 3, 1975, Molinas was shot and killed at his girlfriend's house in Los Angeles.
This was a sad ending to a man who had so much potential to be great but, instead, lived a life of crime.
6. Mookie Blaylock
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Daron "Mookie" Blaylock was arrested on May 31, 2013, in connection with a fatal car crash that occurred in Clayton County, Georgia. Blaylock was driving, and his car crossed the center line and struck an oncoming van, killing a woman named Monica Murphy and injuring her husband.
Blaylock had a history of seizures and was currently going for treatment for his seizures. Shortly before the crash, a doctor told Blaylock not to drive.
Blaylock himself was seriously injured in the crash and was temporarily put on life support before recovering enough to be released from the hospital days later. Blaylock also had a history of alcohol problems, including getting several DUIs throughout his life. At the time of the fatal crash, he was not under the influence.
Blaylock was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and eventually took a plea deal. The plea deal was for seven years in prison and eight on probation.
The deal also allowed for the prison sentence to be suspended after three years as long as Blaylock completed 1,500 hours of community service, treatment for alcoholism, including twice-weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and if he doesn’t drive for the 15 years.
Blaylock ended up only serving three years in jail with eight years on probation. As of this writing, Blaylock has not had any other DUIs or car accidents.
5. Tom Payne
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Tom Payne was the first African American to play at Kentucky in college. Still, he is not a basketball player many know about. The reason for this could be the fact he only played in 29 career games for the Atlanta Hawks. This was back in the 1971-72 season.
Payne was also a professional boxer for a short period of time, but he makes our list because he's spent more time in jail than he has on a basketball court or in a boxing ring. Back in 1972, what cut his basketball career short was being convicted of rape and sentenced to five years behind bars in Georgia.
After serving five years, Payne was sentenced to another six years in Kentucky for a separate rape case. He was paroled in 1983. Then, in 1986, Payne was convicted of rape again, this time in California, where he'd stay in jail until 2000, when he was paroled.
Payne would head back to jail shortly after for violating his parole. He'd stay behind bars until 2019, when he was released. So far, Payne has not returned to jail.
4. Jayson Williams
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Jayson Williams is a player who grew up in a tough situation but made it to the NBA anyway. Unfortunately for Williams, his troubles would follow him to the association.
Williams's first run-in with the law occurred only in his second season in the NBA. He was at a bar with teammate Charles Barkley and came to his rescue.
“We were in a bar in Chicago, and somebody tried to pull a knife out,” Williams said. “Somebody did pull a knife out on Charles Barkley when we were in the bar, and I hit him over the head with a mug. The guy got arrested, and we went on from there… we shouldn’t have been there.”
Williams was ultimately arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest for his role in the bar fight. The charges were eventually dropped.
Williams then found himself in the biggest trouble of his life in 2002 when he was charged with manslaughter in 2002 after accidentally shooting and killing his limousine driver. Williams would never play another game in the NBA after these charges.
The story of what happened was Williams was out with his family and a travel team he was associated with. They were watching the Harlem Globetrotters.
After the game, Williams and members of the travel team were at a restaurant, eating dinner. Williams then invited the players from the travel team back to his house.
The owner of the restaurant did Williams a favor by calling a limousine service to come to pick up the players to take back to his home. The limo driver, a man named Costas (Gus) Christofi, picked up the players of the travel team, and he followed Williams back to Williams' home.
At home, Williams was drinking and showing off his gun collection to his guests. Williams was holding a shotgun and showing it off when the gun went off.
The bullet struck Christofi in the chest, killing him instantly. What happened next is bizarre. Williams stripped naked and ran outside to his swimming pool. He jumped in to wash off any blood that had gotten on him.
After getting out of the pool, Williams then wiped the shotgun’s stock and put it in Christofi’s hands to make it appear that Christofi had committed suicide. The police would show up and take Williams in for questioning and find that Williams' blood-alcohol level was greater than .10, making him intoxicated under N.J. law.
The trial would take eight years to be resolved, and Williams would be acquitted of aggravated manslaughter. Williams would be convicted on four counts of covering up the shooting, and he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on January 11, 2010.
He received a five-year prison sentence and served 27 months before getting released in April 2012. This was Williams's big arrest, but he had a few smaller arrests, as well.
In 2004, while he was out on bail awaiting his sentencing for the shooting, Williams was arrested for driving under the influence in Raleigh, North Carolina. Williams found himself in another bar fight, this time in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2009.
The former NBA player allegedly punched a man in the face at the bar. He was charged with simple assault, but the charges were later dropped. A month before this fight, Williams was tased by police when his friend called them, stating Williams was acting suicidal.
Williams was convicted of driving while intoxicated after he drove his car into a tree in 2010; he was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay nearly $17,000.
Williams was arrested one more time in 2016 when he was driving drunk, yet again, in New Jersey. He was issued a ticket and released.
Jayson Williams has had many run-ins with the law, including some serious offenses. As of now, Williams has stayed out of trouble since his last drunk driving arrest.
Williams's arrest history is a lot, but he only lands at the fourth spot on our list because of how much time the next three players have received for their terrible crimes.
3. Javaris Crittenton
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Javaris Crittenton is the player who had the famous locker room incident with a gun with Gilbert Arenas. This would not be his only incident with a gun.
In 2014, Crittenton, along with 13 others, were arrested in an investigation conducted by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Crittenton was accused of selling multi-kilo quantities of cocaine and several hundred pounds of marijuana.
Crittenton was charged with two counts of conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substance Act. The thing that makes this arrest even crazier is the fact Crittenton was out on a bond on the murder charges...
Crittenton was involved in a dispute with another individual in August 2011, during which Crittenton allegedly pulled out a firearm and fired at the other person. The intended target was not hit, but the bullet struck and killed a bystander, a 22-year-old mother of four named Julian Jones.
Crittenton was aiming at a rival gang member, who allegedly robbed him days earlier when he accidentally shot Jones.
Crittenton fled to Atlanta after the shooting and was eventually arrested by the FBI. He was charged with murder, and in April 2015, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
2. Keith Appling
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Keith Appling is a former American professional basketball player who played college basketball at Michigan State University. Appling sits second on our unfortunate list of NBA players who are or have spent time in jail.
As you will see, Appling is no stranger to the law. He was arrested multiple times for various offenses.
In May 2021, Keith Appling was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 66-year-old Clyde Edmonds in Detroit. He was charged with first-degree murder, felony firearm possession, and two counts of carrying a concealed weapon.
This was not Keith Appling's first arrest. In 2016, he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of marijuana. Appling was also sentenced to one year in jail for resisting police and carrying a concealed weapon for an incident in 2017.
In 2020, Keith Appling was arrested and charged with delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and driving without a license. According to reports, police officers pulled over Appling's vehicle, and during a search of the vehicle, they found "golf ball-sized amount of heroin" in his car.
For the first-degree murder charge in 2021, Appling pleaded guilty to the second-degree and felony firearm charges in February. 13, 2023. Appling has recently been sentenced to 18 to 40 years in prison for the second-degree murder charge.
1. Eddie Johnson Jr.
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Eddie Johnson Jr. lands at our top spot in today's article, not only for the sickness of his crime but the sentencing he received for it. Johnson was drafted 49th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1977 NBA Draft.
He played 10 years in the league, being named an All-Star twice and named to two All-Defensive teams, as well. His career may have lasted 10 years, but his conviction for a terrible crime would last a lifetime...
Johnson had a history of mental illness and problems with drugs and the law. In college, Johnson first started to use cocaine, which led to an incident where he passed out during a school function.
In 1980 Johnson was shot at over a drug issue, and he had to jump off a second-story apartment balcony. He was unharmed in the shooting. Johnson would be banned for life by the NBA in 1987 for his cocaine addiction, and his life continued to spiral out of control.
It's been said that Johnson has been arrested over 100 times for everything from burglary, assault on a police officer, and of course, drug possession. The worst of Johnson's crimes would occur in August 2006 after he broke into an apartment where an 8-year-old girl lived and sexually assaulted her.
Johnson was officially charged with sexual battery on a child under the age of 12 and residential burglary. What makes this situation crazier is at the time when Johnson committed this heinous act, he was out on bail for sexual battery and burglary in the rape of a 25-year-old woman just a few weeks before the attack on the 8-year-old.
Johnson received a mandatory life sentence and stayed in jail until 2020 when he died from an undisclosed illness. This is truly a tragic end to a player who lived a complicated life and who committed horrible crimes.
These 15 basketball players have made mistakes in their lives. Some mistakes are minor, while others are life-changing.
With everything going on in the news recently with Ja Morant, from the gun video incident to being investigated for assault of a high school student, it is safe to say we, as basketball fans, wish Morant well and hope he changes his ways.
Basketball fans want to watch players play the game and win championships. What we don't want to see is players going to jail. Let's hope things go well for all NBA players now and into the future so we can just enjoy the game we all love.
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