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File:Sebastian-Telfair-sports-illustrated-2005-cover.jpg

2004 Sports Illustrated cover featuring Sebastian Telfair.

Sebastian Telfair (born June 9 1985 in Brooklyn, New York) is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association.

Telfair was the 13th selection of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Abraham Lincoln High School. At 5'11" he became the shortest high school player to be drafted.

He had been recruited by University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino but chose to turn professional.

Telfair is the cousin of Stephon Marbury.

NBA career highlights

2004-2005

On January 1, 2005 Telfair had a semi-breakout game by scoring 14 points on 5-11 shooting, making 4 of 5 free throws, to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists with only 1 turnover.

In February of 2005, interim coach Kevin Pritchard promoted Telfair to the starting lineup. Although Telfair put up decent numbers, the team lost 23 of its final 28 games and finished with its worst record since 1975.

2005-2006

Under new head coach Nate McMillan, Telfair began the 2005-06 season as the starting point guard. He was frequently paired in the backcourt with another high-school draftee taken in 2005, Martell Webster. Telfair's production has been an improvement over his 2004-05 numbers but is still considered below par for an NBA starting point guard. As a result he has been under increasing pressure from the Portland media. In December 2005 Telfair suffered a thumb injury, and was replaced in the starting lineup by Steve Blake. Blake has put up similar numbers, but more importantly, has led the team to more wins. Telfair returned to the court on January 9, after missing 12 games. Blake continued to start, and Telfair has since come off the bench. Although eliminated from playoff contention, Telfair scored the winning basket against the Houston Rockets on April 5, 2006.

2006-2007

On June 28th, the Portland Trailblazers traded Telfair for the #7 overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft and one/two other players to be named. Boston fans seemed mixed about his arrival according to latest reports.

Handgun incident

On February 15, 2006, a loaded handgun was found in Sebastian Telfair's pillowcase, on the Blazers' private jet at Boston's Logan International Airport. Telfair told authorities the gun belonged to his girlfriend and that he inadvertently grabbed the wrong bag when leaving for the team's road trip. The gun was registered to Samantha Rodriguez, Telfair's girlfriend of five years. [1]. On February 21, the Massachusetts State Police announced that no charges would be filed against Telfair in the incident (Massachusetts has very strict gun laws, the violation of which can lead to a prison sentence). On February 23, the NBA front office announced that Telfair would receive a 2-game suspension for breaking the league's collective bargaining agreement, which prohibits NBA players from carrying firearms while on league business.

Biographical coverage

Telfair is the subject of the book The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High-Stakes Business of High School Ball by Ian O'Connor, and Through the Fire, a documentary film by Jonathan Hock which follows Telfair through his last year in high school and his decision to choose the NBA over college. The film made its television debut on March 12, 2006 on ESPN.

External links

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 On June 28, 2006 Telfair was traded to the Boston Celtics for a first round draft pick and a player to be named.
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+===2006-2007===
+On June 28th, the Portland Trailblazers traded Telfair for the #7 overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft and one/two other players to be named.  Boston fans seemed mixed about his arrival according to latest reports.
 == Handgun incident ==