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Ex-rockets continue the rocket way of being schmucks

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by LosPollosHermanos, Oct 4, 2024.

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  1. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos BOL BOL
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    Businessman convicted of cheating ex-NBA star Dwight Howard out of millions in scam to buy WNBA team
    LARRY NEUMEISTER
    Updated Fri, October 4, 2024 at 6:29 PM EDT3 min read
    Dwight Howard out of millions of dollars in a bogus scheme to buy the WNBA's Atlanta Dream.

    The jury returned its verdict against Calvin Darden Jr. on Friday afternoon after a trial in New York City. Darden was also convicted of cheating former NBA forward Chandler Parsons in a separate ruse.

    Howard — one of the NBA’s most dominant centers during the prime of his 18-year professional career — testified during the trial that Darden fooled him into giving him $7 million by convincing him that it was an investment toward the purchase of the Dream. In reality, a three-member investor group that included former player Renee Montgomery bought the team in 2021.

    When a prosecutor asked him if he got anything in return for his $7 million, Howard testified that he got “a slap in the face.”

    Prosecutors said Darden also teamed up with a sports agent to fool Parsons, who had a 9-year NBA career, into sending $1 million that was supposed to aid the development of James Wiseman, who currently plays in the NBA.

    Darden's conviction came eight years after he was sentenced to a year in prison for impersonating his successful father in a failed bid to buy Maxim magazine. In that case, Darden got leniency by cooperating with prosecutors against others charged in the case.

    This time, though, Darden turned down two offers by the government to plead guilty and went to trial.

    Prosecutors believe he will face between 11 years and 14 years in prison when he is sentenced early next year.

    After the conviction, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Meade sought to have Darden immediately taken into custody, saying he had not learned his lesson since the case in 2016, but Judge Vernon S. Broderick ruled that he could remain free on bail for now.

    Howard was an eight-time All Star and three-time defensive player of the year. He played for seven franchises, most notably the Orlando Magic — who took him with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2004 draft — and the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won his lone NBA title during the pandemic-affected 2019-20 season. Parsons played with Houston, Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta.

    The Atlanta Dream had been co-owned by former Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, but she was pressured to sell after clashing with players over her opposition to the league’s racial justice initiatives. Dream players urged people to vote for her Democratic opponent, now U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
     
    #1 LosPollosHermanos, Oct 4, 2024
  2. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy
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    3 min read
    ______

    Pass.
     
    #2 KingCheetah, Oct 4, 2024
    roslolian, Nook, Jontro and 3 others like this.
  3. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos BOL BOL
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    Stfu b****
     
    #3 LosPollosHermanos, Oct 4, 2024
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  4. Jontro

    Jontro Member

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    dam yall be speed reading n shiz. i got thru in like 7-10 mins. also why is chandsome spending money to develop wiseman?
     
    #4 Jontro, Oct 5, 2024
    dmoneybangbang, BigShasta and napalm06 like this.
  5. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Ur tuition paid in speed reading.

     
    #5 daywalker02, Oct 5, 2024
    Jontro likes this.
  6. Jontro

    Jontro Member

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    dam i better start learning to read good so my tuition for houston community college is cheap.
     
    #6 Jontro, Oct 5, 2024
    raining threes, TimDuncanDonaut, roslolian and 1 other person like this.
  7. Dobbizzle

    Dobbizzle Member

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    Probably the same reason Dwight got duped - it was his actual agent who scammed him, this dude the article's talking about was just part of the group. This makes it sound like this random dude was the one doing all the scamming, the agent already owned up to the crime previously in court. Athletes are conditioned to listen when their agent gives them a business move/opportunity, not sure I can really blame them or call them "schmucks" for doing what the majority of people in their situation would've done. OP seems like a bit of a **** in all honesty, trying to denigrate the people who got scammed by the people they're supposed to be able to trust in a professional environment, he's probably some bottom feeder who gets off on actual successful people being taken advantage of.
     
    #7 Dobbizzle, Oct 5, 2024
    HardenReturns, Madmanmetz, BigShasta and 1 other person like this.
  8. topfive

    topfive CF OG

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    For anyone thinking these two players were just dumb and wonder how anyone could put their faith in bad people like that, this DOJ/FBI document is an interesting read:

    https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/p...-nba-agent-and-previously-convicted-fraudster

    The player names are kept anonymous, but when compared to the link in OP’s post, it’s pretty obvious that Player-2 is Parsons, Player-5 is Howard, and Player-6 is Wiseman. You always think players need to hire someone they trust to watch their finances, but that’s exactly what these guys did. They were taken in by Dwight’s agent, a registered investment adviser, his recommended financial planner, and Darden, whose father was a longtime bigwig at UPS.

    The document details all the smaller scams played by these 4 guys that amounted to millions in losses to the players involved.
     
    #8 topfive, Oct 5, 2024
    jch1911, ClutchCity3, BigShasta and 4 others like this.
  9. HTown Spike Lee

    HTown Spike Lee Member

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    Thanks for providing the additional context. Important lesson for all.....trust but verify!
     
    #9 HTown Spike Lee, Oct 5, 2024
    jch1911, Dobbizzle and topfive like this.
  10. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos BOL BOL
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    Did they not do a background check or their homework on these investments??
     
    #10 LosPollosHermanos, Oct 6, 2024
  11. Nook

    Nook Member

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    No - they trusted that their agent did.
     
    #11 Nook, Oct 6, 2024
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2024
    jch1911 and topfive like this.
  12. Dobbizzle

    Dobbizzle Member

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    Did you not do your homework on how they got scammed before trying to slander people and making yourself look like a massive cunt?
     
    #12 Dobbizzle, Oct 7, 2024
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  13. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos BOL BOL
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    translation, you're also a ****ing moron. Have you ever invested a reasonable amount of money?
     
    #13 LosPollosHermanos, Oct 8, 2024
  14. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Talking about ex Rockets. KPJ is quietly having a good game ....9 points 4-3-2 in 14 minutes.
     
    #14 daywalker02, Oct 8, 2024
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  15. roslolian

    roslolian Member

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    How do you feel about Cp0 taking the 10M pay day over competing for a ring?
     
    #15 roslolian, Oct 8, 2024
  16. Dobbizzle

    Dobbizzle Member

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    Yes, plenty of times. Nice troll job though, all you're doing is making yourself look like a joke.
     
    #16 Dobbizzle, Oct 9, 2024
  17. BigShasta

    BigShasta Member

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    Can’t blame Howard or Parsons on these scummy advisors. What a roller coaster read.
     
    #17 BigShasta, Oct 9, 2024
    Dobbizzle likes this.
  18. ClutchCity3

    ClutchCity3 Member

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    Anyone know why is Parsons funding James Wiseman’s development?
     
    #18 ClutchCity3, Oct 9, 2024
  19. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos BOL BOL
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    Translation , you have no idea what you’re talking about.

    a fool and his money are quickly parted, sayings don’t go back centuries for random reasons dumbass. Take what I say to heart.
     
    #19 LosPollosHermanos, Oct 9, 2024
  20. Buck Turgidson

    Buck Turgidson Member

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    This happened after Wiseman left school, was supposed to be a loan to help fund pre-draft coaching and workouts and such.
     
    #20 Buck Turgidson, Oct 9, 2024
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