Former NBA Lottery Pick Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

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It might be a long time before former NBA player Terrence Williams tastes freedom again.

The former Rockets guard was handed a 10-year prison sentence for his role in a scheme to defraud the NBA's Health and Welfare Benefit Plan between 2017 and 2021, according to ESPN. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Williams, the 11th overall pick in 2009, was also fined $650,000 and ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution after he helped defraud the program to the tune of $5 million.

"I one million percent take full accountability for my role in this case," Williams told the court as he learned his fate.

Terrence Williams sentenced to 10 years in prison. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Terrence Williams will sit in prison for a long time.

Thirteen other NBA players have also entered guilty pleas for their role in the scheme after 18 were charged. Many avoided serious prison time, according to the same ESPN report. It appears the 10-year sentence was given to Williams because of what appeared to be a leadership role in the school.

He personally received kickbacks of $230,000 after players filed fraudulent invoices to defraud the program.

Now, the former Louisville star will learn that rich people don't tolerate their money being stolen from them. He went after money from the NBA, was caught and will now sit in prison for up to a decade.

Former NBA player Terrence Williams sentenced to 10 years in prison. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

While most of the former NBA players involved got off with light sentences, including former prodigy Sebastian Telfair, the judge took a much harsher stance with Williams.

Ten years in prison is a very long time. It's a decade. Think about that for a second. Barack Obama was early in his second term a decade ago for perspective.

Terrence Williams hit with lengthy prison sentence after defrauding the NBA's Health and Welfare Benefit Plan (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time, and Terence Williams will have plenty of time to think about that for years to come.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.