Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis Can Delay Prison Sentence to Finish Film, Judge Says

NEW YORK (AP) — A film project has earned former Boston Celtics forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis a temporary reprieve from the start of his three-year prison sentence for a fraud conviction in Manhattan federal court.

Judge Valerie E. Caproni said Wednesday that Davis can wait until Oct. 22 to begin serving his three-year, four-month sentence for defrauding an insurance plan for NBA players and their families. She extended the Sunday deadline to report to prison by seven weeks after his attorney said he was working to complete a documentary film project about his life.

A member of the Celtics’ 2008 championship team, Davis was among about two dozen former players and others, including doctors, who have been convicted in recent years of defrauding the NBA’s players’ health and welfare programs out of more than $5 million.

On Tuesday, attorney Brendan White requested a delay for Davis, citing the need for a Hollywood production company to complete its project. White wrote that the delays in the project were due to difficulties in arranging interviews with castmates and fellow professionals who are scheduled to speak with Davis about the film.

The attorney also wrote that the film’s revenue “could go a long way” toward satisfying $80,000 in restitution.

In her order granting the postponement, Caproni wrote that Davis “owes substantial restitution” to a victim and she hopes that “optimism about the film’s financial rewards is justified.”

In his May 9 verdict, Davis referenced an injury that derailed his career and said that over the last five or six years, “I’ve struggled because basketball was taken away from me.”

“That’s all I know. I was an expert at it,” he said. “But when I lost basketball, I lost myself.”

His lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, said at the sentencing that Davis had faced a “colossal run of bad luck” and was so destitute that he once asked her for $800 to get his phone working.

Caproni said at the time, however, that Davis had not fully cooperated with probation department officials and had not taken steps to address his problems.

A federal prosecutor, Ryan Finkel, told the judge at sentencing that Davis was “probably the most successful basketball player” caught up in the insurance conspiracy.

“He was part of a championship team,” Finkel said.

Davis, 38, played for the Celtics, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers from 2007-15 after leading Louisiana State University to the 2006 NCAA championship.