Crime

Former NBA Star Person Pleads Guilty in NCAA Bribery Scheme

Person is the highest-profile defendant ensared in crackdown
Ex-Rookie of the Year faces as much as 30 months in prison

Chuck Person, then on coaching staff of the Los Angeles Lakers, during a game on Dec. 16, 2012.Photographer: Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

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By Chris Dolmetsch

March 19, 2019 at 3:08 PM UTC

Updated on

March 19, 2019 at 4:15 PM UTC

Former National Basketball Association star Chuck Person admitted to taking thousands of dollars in bribes to steer college players to hire a financial adviser after they turned professional.

Person, 54, a former NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1986-1987 season, was the highest-profile defendant ensnared in a crackdown on bribery, corruption and fraud in college basketball. His guilty plea, entered Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, comes just before the annual championship tournament known as March Madness is set to begin. In two days, Auburn University, where Person played and coached, is scheduled to compete against New Mexico State in the first round.