Man Who Scammed Dwight Howard Out of $7 Million Sentenced to Multiple Years in Prison

Former 18-year NBA center Dwight Howard has enjoyed an eventful week.

The 6-foot-10 big man, an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA honoree and five-time All-Defensive teamer during his playing days, was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot honoree.

It was also revealed by Natasha Dye of People that the man who swindled Howard out of a small fortune has recently been given an extensive prison sentence for his crimes.

Like we said, it's been an eventful week.

Per Dye, Georgia businessman Calvin Darden Jr. was sentenced to 151 months (over 12 years) in prison for his role in duping Howard out of $7 million and former longtime NBA combo forward Chandler Parsons out of $1 million in the offing. Darden's pitch was that he was putting together funds to make an ownership offer for WNBA squad the Atlanta Dream.

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In a Thursday statement, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Matthew Podolsky announced the sentence.

Darden was collaborating with Howard's then-agent, Charles Briscoe, to enact the faux bid, and had (falsely) informed Howard that celebrities like filmmaker Tyler Perry, movie and TV star Issa Rae, and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka were working as advisors to steer the deal through.

"In truth and in fact, those individuals and companies had never agreed to be advisors or corporate sponsors to the Dream and many had never even heard of Darden Jr.," the statement said.

According to Philip Marcelo of The Associated Press, Darden was not present for his sentencing.

"Calvin Darden, Jr., stole millions of dollars from former NBA players and used the money to buy a mansion, a fleet of luxury cars, and expensive artwork," Podolsky was quoted as saying. "This conviction—his third—and sentence make clear that severe consequences await those who take advantage of others by fraud."

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Darden had been laundering the $7 million from Howard to several bank accounts under his control, which he used on a $3.7 million mansion, art from acclaimed painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, three luxury cars, and other items.

Per Dye, it took an ESPN report of a different buyer securing the Dream to dispel Howard of the notion that he would be the franchise's next part-owner.

Darden told Parsons that his $1 million was being sent to eventual 2020 No. 2 pick James Wiseman. Darden claimed he was acting as the 7-foot center's attorney.

Per the charging documents, Darden "did not know Wiseman." He then proceeded to "spent his cut of the fraud proceeds on watches, a Mercedes and other personal expenses," the district attorney's office said.

Darden was ordered to surrender the $8 million, his luxury cars and items, and pay $8 million in restitution.

Howard, now 39, enjoyed a decorated — and lucrative — pro career plying his wares for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers. The Atlanta native, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, won his lone NBA championship in 2020 as a role-playing rim-runner on the Lakers.

Across 1,242 career regular season contests, Howard boasts averages of 15.7 points on 58.7 percent shooting from the floor and 56.7 percent shooting from the foul line, 11.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.3 assists and 0.9 steals a night. Per Spotrac, he has netted $245.1 million in purely on-court revenue.

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