In New York, a Georgia businessman who defrauded former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of millions of dollars was sentenced to over 12 years in federal prison on Thursday. Calvin Darden Jr., a 50-year-old resident of Atlanta, was found guilty by a Manhattan jury in October of swindling Howard, a former NBA star, out of $7 million under the pretext of acquiring the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
In a separate fraud, Darden duped former NBA forward Parsons out of $1 million, claiming it was for the advancement of then-NBA prospect James Wiseman. On Thursday, a federal judge in Manhattan ordered Darden to relinquish $8 million along with various luxury assets purchased with the illicit funds, including a $3.7 million Atlanta mansion, artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat valued at $600,000, a Lamborghini, and a Rolls-Royce.
Darden’s legal representatives declined to comment following the sentencing as Darden himself, who had suffered a concussion while in custody last week, chose not to attend the proceedings after waiving his right to be present, according to officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
During the trial, Howard revealed that Darden manipulated him into investing $7 million under the false impression it would be used to purchase the Dream. The former NBA All-Star and three-time defensive player of the year did not realize his lack of ownership until ESPN reported the Dream had been sold to an investment group featuring former Dream player Renee Montgomery in 2021.
Prosecutors detailed how Darden and a sports agent misled Parsons into sending $1 million, purporting it to be support for Wiseman’s development, who was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Unbeknownst to Parsons, neither Darden nor the sports agent had any connection to Wiseman, who recently played for the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Toronto Raptors, who subsequently waived him.
In addition to his recent convictions for wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering, Darden had previously served a year in federal prison in New York for impersonating his father, former United Parcel Service executive Cal Darden, in an unsuccessful attempt to purchase Maxim magazine.
Howard has had a diverse NBA career spanning seven teams since being chosen first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 draft, and he secured an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during the COVID-19 pandemic-affected 2019-20 season. Parsons devoted nine years to the NBA, playing for Houston, Dallas, Memphis, and Atlanta.
The Atlanta Dream, once part-owned by former Republican U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, was sold after her opposition to the league’s racial justice efforts led to increased pressure from players.