Terrence Williams Rumors

Terrence Williams Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

August 3rd, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former Nets swingman Terrence Williams has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding the NBA’s Health and Welfare Benefit Plan for former players, per Priscilla DeGregory of The New York Post.

In 2021, Williams and 17 other ex-NBA pros were charged for an elaborate plot to steal $5MM from the league. Last year, he pled guilty to coordinating the scheme, which required he and his fellow ex-players cumulatively submit at least that amount in phony claims between 2017 and 2021. Williams also earned $346K in kickbacks for setting up the operation, DeGregory notes.

The most notable name on the list of additional players charged was former six-time All-Defensive Team shooting guard Tony Allen, who won a title with the Celtics as a reserve in 2008.

As part of an already established plea agreement, Williams was also ordered to pay $3.1MM in restitution and forfeitures. $2.5MM of that sum will be doled out in restitution to the league’s health care plan, while $650K will be forfeited to the federal government.

“Williams recruited medical professionals and others to expand his criminal conspiracy and maximize his ill-gotten gains,” the case’s prosecutor said, per DeGregory. “Williams not only lined his pockets through fraud and deceit, but he also stole the identities of others and threatened a witness to further his criminal endeavors.”

The then-New Jersey Nets selected Williams with the No. 11 pick in the 2009 draft out of Louisville. He spent just a year-and-a-half with the Nets, and subsequently bounced around during a brief four-season NBA career. Across 153 regular season games with the Nets, Rockets, Kings and Celtics, Williams averaged 7.1 PPG on .412/.317/.659 shooting splits, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 RPG and 0.5 SPG.

In addition to a later stint with the Lakers’ NBAGL affiliate, then called the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the 6’6″ shooting guard/small forward also played for international clubs in China, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, the Philipines, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Israel, and Venezuela.

Terrence Williams Pleads Guilty In Fraud Case Involving NBA’s Benefit Plan

August 27th, 2022 at 6:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

Terrence Williams has entered a guilty plea in a fraud case that includes 17 other former NBA players, according to The Associated Press.

An October 2021 indictment accused the 35-year-old Williams of orchestrating an effort to commit health care fraud and identity theft involving the NBA’s health plan. He submitted his plea Friday in federal court in Manhattan and will be sentenced in January. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy and a mandatory two-year sentence for identity theft.

The scheme involved fake claims and paperwork being submitted to the health plan for reimbursement of medical and dental expenses. Authorities reported that at least $5MM in false claims were turned in by the ex-players from 2017 to 2021.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Terrence Williams received at least $300K in kickbacks as the leader of the scam. He recruited other ex-players to participate and gave them fake paperwork to submit.

Under a plea agreement, Terrence Williams will pay $2.5MM in restitution to the health care plan and will forfeit more than $650K to the federal government. He has been in custody since earlier this year when he was accused of threatening a witness.

Terrence Williams, the 11th selection in the 2009 draft, played for the Nets, Rockets, Kings and Celtics during his four-year NBA career.

18 Former NBA Players Charged For Allegedly Defrauding League’s Benefit Plan

October 7th, 2021 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

Eighteen former NBA players face charges in New York federal court over allegations that they defrauded the NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan, according to a report from Jonathan Dienst and Tom Winter of NBC. The players each face a count of conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud.

As Dienst and Winter outline, the indictment alleges that these players engaged in a scheme from 2017-20 to defraud the NBA’s benefit plan by submitting false claims for dental and medical expenses that were never incurred. According to the indictment, the fraudulent claims totaled about $3.9MM, and the defendants received approximately $2.5MM in proceeds.

While none of the players who have been charged were household names, many won titles and/or had long NBA careers, and most will likely be recognizable to Hoops Rumors readers. They are as follows:

Williams was named in the indictment as the one who orchestrated the scheme, according to Dienst and Winter, who say the former lottery pick is accused of having recruited other participants by offering them fake invoices. He allegedly received payments totaling $230K in exchange for those fake documents, per NBC’s report.

Allen’s wife, Desiree Allen, was also charged in the indictment. As John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets, the Grizzlies had been planning to retire Allen’s number in January — they may decide to postpone their ceremony honoring the six-time All-Defensive swingman.

And-Ones: Johnson, Dragic, Williams, Ewing

March 8th, 2015 at 10:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Heat’s Tyler Johnson has been among the most productive players to sign a 10-day contract this season, writes Shandel Richardson of The Sun Sentinel. Johnson had 26-point and 24-point games this week as he has developed into a solid rotation player for Miami. After completing two 10-day deals, Johnson was signed to a two-year, partially guaranteed contract on February 8th. “It’s funny because when people from the outside hear 10-day contract, they almost kind of laugh,” Johnson said. “There’s been quite a few stories of 10-day contracts guys sticking around.”

There’s more from a busy day around the basketball world:

The traditional numbers don’t do a great job of accurately portraying Goran Dragic’s value, but SportVU data helped to show exactly how much of an impact the Heat guard can have when he has the ball in his hands, as Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. That data, in part, shaped how Dragic was viewed at the deadline.
Former lottery pick Terrence Williams told David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter) that he has signed with Vaqueros De Bayamon in Puerto Rico. Williams worked out for the Kings in July and again in late October.
In a piece for USA Today Sports, Howard Megdal wonders why Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing can’t land an NBA head coaching job. Ewing started coaching as an assistant for the Wizards back in 2002 and at this point, he’s been a coach for nearly as long as he played for the Knicks. Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has his own theory on why Ewing hasn’t landed a head coaching gig, telling Megdal that the big man isn’t enough of a “self promoter.”
Guard Carlos Arroyo has decided to finish the season in Puerto Rico, a source tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (via Twitter). Back in September, Arroyo indicated that he wasn’t receiving interest from NBA teams, and it’s not clear if that has changed over the last several months.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Kobe, McAdoo, Terrence Williams

January 30th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers picked up a rare with Thursday night, but it cost them in the Reverse Standings, where they’re four games back of the No. 2 position. They have to finish with either the worst or second-worst record in the league to assure themselves of retaining their first-round pick this year, which goes to the Suns if it falls out of the top five. The Lakers currently sit fourth in the order, but if a couple of other teams get lucky in the lottery, that would bump L.A. out of the pick’s protected range. There’s more on next year for the purple-and-gold amid the latest from the Pacific Division:

Kobe Bryant confirms that he plans to return next season and be ready to take part in Lakers training camp, as he told Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bryant admitted shortly before he tore his rotator cuff that he had considered retiring after this season. Recovery from the injury is supposed to keep him out for nine months, which would force him to miss nearly all of the 2015/16 preseason.
The Warriors like what they see in James McAdoo and hope that he’s a part of the team’s future, coach Steve Kerr says, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Golden State nonetheless appears to have opted against re-signing McAdoo for now, since he rejoined the team’s D-League affiliate Thursday following the expiration of his 10-day contract with the big club.
Israel’s Maccabi Ashdod has decided to release former lottery pick Terrence Williams, sources tell David Pick of Basketball Insiders. Williams worked out for the Kings in July and again in late October. He’s in talks with teams from Puerto Rico and the Philippines, Pick hears.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Thomas, Clippers

October 29th, 2014 at 1:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Workers broke ground today on a new arena for the Kings that’s set to open in two years, the team confirms via press release. It’s the latest in a long line of steps toward a new building that the NBA has mandated must take place in a timely fashion in advance of a 2017 deadline for completion. The league would have the power to take control of the team and move it to another city if the Kings either miss the deadline or don’t show sufficient progress, but it seems the franchise is well on its way to opening the doors of its new home in Sacramento. There’s more on the Kings amid our latest look around the Pacific Division:

The Kings are indeed looking for help on the wing even though they’re not ready to sign Terrence Williams at this point, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). Williams, a four-year NBA veteran, reportedly worked out for Sacramento recently, and the Kings, who have an open roster spot, are looking for experience, Jones says.
New Suns guard Isaiah Thomas confirms that he had interest in signing with the Lakers this summer, adding that the interest was mutual, as he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe. “First off, it’s the Los Angeles Lakers. Who wouldn’t want to play for them? Second off, I felt like they always needed a point guard — a small guard like myself,” Thomas said. “I always envisioned myself playing with the Lakers, but like you said, they were waiting on Carmelo [Anthony] and other moves. The Suns came out of nowhere and showed a lot of interest, and I fell in love with them.”
A report early in free agency indicated that the Lakers, Heat and Pistons were Thomas’ preferred teams, and he says to Lowe that all three, as well as the Mavs, showed interest, noting that Miami’s pursuit took place before LeBron James left, as Lowe passes along in the same piece.
Steve Ballmer can write off about half of the $2 billion he paid to buy the Clippers as he files his federal taxes over the next 15 years, report Arash Massoudi and Alan Livsey of the Financial Times (hat tip to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News).

Kings Work Out Terrence Williams

October 27th, 2014 at 7:40pm CST by Alex Lee

The Kings brought free agent Terrence Williams in for another workout today, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Sacramento also had the former lottery pick in for an audition in late July, though we hadn’t since heard any rumblings until now. As our 2014/15 Expanded Roster Counts post shows, the Kings are one of three teams with a roster spot to spare as we get set to tip off the season tomorrow night (Chicago and Memphis are the two others). The team released guard Trey Johnson over the weekend.

While the Kings have a combination of upside and experience in both the backcourt and under the rim, the roster is riddled with uncertainty on the wing behind starter Rudy Gay. Omri Casspi and Derrick Williams figure to get the bulk of the time behind Gay for now, presenting an opportunity for the much-traveled Williams to join an NBA roster for the first time in nearly two years.

The Nets took Williams No. 11 overall out of Louisville in 2009 but traded him to Houston only 88 games into his NBA career. He landed with Sacramento a season later and spent 24 games with the Celtics in the 2012/13 season, which was the last time he played in the league. He’s averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 153 NBA games. The forward spent much of last season with the Lakers D-League affiliate, where he averaged 20.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game. He has also played professionally in China, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Turkey.

Kings To Audition Terrence Williams

July 29th, 2014 at 4:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former No. 11 overall pick Terrence Williams will meet with the Kings and work out for them Thursday in Sacramento, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has been out of the NBA since a 24-game late-season stint with the Celtics in 2012/13.

If the two sides strike a deal, the Kings would likely have to sign Williams either to a non-guaranteed contract or one with a tiny partial guarantee to stay beneath the luxury tax threshold without waiving Quincy Acy, whose contract becomes fully guaranteed next month. Sacramento recently decided against claiming Omri Casspi off waivers to instead reach agreement on a deal that would keep the team under the tax line. Williams would probably force the team to swing a trade to stay out of the tax if he were to make the team out of camp.

The Nets spent a lottery pick on Williams in 2011, but they traded him to Houston midway through his second season, and his NBA travels included a stop with the Kings before his time with Boston. The swingman spent much of this past season with the Lakers affiliate in the D-League, averaging 20.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game. He also had brief stints in the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Turkey during 2013/14.

And-Ones: Johnson, Williams, Draft

May 18th, 2014 at 12:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Johnson has made it a point to include Player Agents in the search for the new head of the NBA Player’s Association, writes Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. This approach differs from former NBAPA head, Billy Hunter, who was known to exclude agents from the decision making process.

And-Ones: Union, KJ, Bulls, Young, Huestis

May 1st, 2014 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Adam Silver’s response to the Donald Sterling fiasco united the players association, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, and it also facilitated a stronger relationship between the union and the league, as acting union executive director Ron Klempner sees it.

“The league and the players recently have been working more closely together across the board, not just through this event,” Klempner said. “Our player programs staffs have experienced something of a thaw. Everyone feels more secure and confident, knowing that we can work together with the league on projects that will benefit the players.”

Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher has a different take, believing the players’ response to Silver’s ruling was an act of capitulation, and that they missed an opportunity to boycott games until Sterling was officially stripped of Clippers ownership. Just how the Sterling mess plays out remains to be seen, and there’s more on the union amid our latest look around the NBA:

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who’s serving the players in an ex-officio capacity, isn’t a candidate to take the union’s full-time executive director position, given his rising stock as a politician, Windhorst writes in the same piece.
It seems the Bulls will have to make a choice between Kirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin, but GM Gar Forman isn’t ruling out the possibility of bringing them both back, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com notes.
Kentucky shooting guard James Young, one of 75 early entrants for the draft, has chosen Jay Z and his Roc Nation Sports agency for his representation, notes Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
The Jazz will likely work out fellow draft prospect Josh Huestis, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. The small forward from Stanford told Hoops Rumors about his preparation for a chance in the NBA, as we detailed in this morning’s prospect profile.
Terrence Williams didn’t last long in Puerto Rico, as Brujos de Guayama has released him just a few weeks after he joined the team, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The former 11th overall pick last played in the NBA with the Celtics in 2012/13.