Jeffrey David Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Marbury, Rush, Zoosman, FAs

June 25th, 2019 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury has been named the head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighers in the Chinese Basketball Association, writes Kevin Wang of ESPN.com.

Marbury, a former fourth overall pick who made All-Star teams for New Jersey and Phoenix during his 13-year NBA career, has enjoyed a second act over the last decade as a star in China. As a player for Chinese teams, including the Beijing Ducks, Marbury won three CBA titles and was named a CBA All-Star six times. Now he’ll remain in China as a head coach in Beijing, having reportedly signed a three-year contract with the team, per Wang.

“Thank you for the opportunity. I will give everything I have on the sidelines just like I gave everything inside the lines,” Marbury wrote on his Weibo social media account. “The end is another start, I am back, are you with me?”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Brandon Rush hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2016/17 season, in part due to a heart infection, but he hasn’t given up hope on making a comeback, per an Indianapolis Star report. Rush is currently playing in the BIG3 in the hopes of proving he’s capable of returning to the NBA. “That’s the main goal for me right now,” Rush said. “I just want to show people that I can still hoop. I just want to show my athletic ability, showing that I still got a little bounce to me. (Show) that I can still shoot the ball and defend at a high level.”
Undrafted free agent Yovel Zoosman, who has spent the last several seasons playing in Israel, has reportedly received a four-year offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv, but remains primarily focused on finding a deal with an NBA team, a source tells JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider link) shares his top-30 list of 2019 NBA free agents, with Jeremy Lamb, Delon Wright, and Tyus Jones among those who place higher than expected on the analytically-influenced rankings.
Jeffrey David, the former Kings executive who was accused of siphoning $13.4MM from the team and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, has been sentenced to seven years in prison, writes Samantha Maldonado of The Associated Press.

Pacific Notes: Rondo, David, Clippers, Sarver

December 12th, 2018 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo will be examined by a hand specialist on Thursday to determine the next course of action for his injury, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet tweets. Rondo didn’t travel with the team to its road game against Houston. He broke his right hand nearly a month ago and underwent surgery on November 15th. He was given a 4-to-5 week timetable for his recovery but has continued to experience swelling during the healing process.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

A former Kings executive has agreed to plead guilty for funneling $13.4MM from two of the team’s sponsors and spending it on beachfront homes in Southern California, Sam Stanton of the Sacramento Bee reports. Jeffrey David, the team’s former chief revenue officer, agreed to a deal in which all of the money diverted from the Golden 1 Credit Union and Kaiser Permanente will be recouped. Prosecutors plan to argue for a sentence of 8 1/2 years, while his attorneys are expected to argue that he should serve no more than two years. David held a similar position with the Heat when the scheme was uncovered. The funds that were diverted came from advertising contracts the companies signed with the team.
Ample cap space, a free-spending owner in Steve Ballmer and some quality pieces already in place are the main reasons why top-level free agents will seriously consider the Clippers, Steven Loung of Sportsnet.ca argues. The Clippers have been keeping close tabs on the top two free agents next summer, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.
Phoenix city council members should take Suns owner Robert Sarver’s threat to move the team with a grain of salt, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic opines. Sarver has dropped hints he’d consider moving the team to Las Vegas or Seattle if the team’s current arena isn’t upgraded. Sarver and his partners should pay more for those renovations, according to Somers, and the City of Phoenix shouldn’t buckle under his idle threat. Any move would have to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors and Sarver isn’t well-liked among his peers, Somers adds.

Former Kings Employee Accused Of Stealing Funds

August 30th, 2018 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jeffrey R. David, the former chief revenue officer for the Kings, is under suspicion of diverting $13.4MM from two team sponsors, according to Sam Stanton and Darrell Smith of The Sacramento Bee. David allegedly used the money to buy beachfront property in Southern California.

David is being investigated by the FBI and federal prosecutors, who say he set up a money-laundering scheme that took $9MM from the Golden 1 Credit Union and an additional $4.4MM from Kaiser Permanente Foundation.

No criminal charges have been filed, and the reporters weren’t able to get a comment from David. However, the Kings issued a statement confirming the investigation.

“Last week, we alerted federal law enforcement to suspicious financial transactions involving a former Kings employee, Jeff David,” the team said in its statement. “That investigation is underway and on Monday, U.S. Department of Justice authorities began the formal process of recovering and seizing the properties involved in the investigation.

“We appreciate the swift action on behalf of the officials at the FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California McGregor Scott as they work to complete this investigation and we will take all appropriate action once it is complete.”

David left the team June 1 when his position was eliminated. He currently serves as chief revenue officer for the Heat.

William Portanova, an attorney for the Kings, said the organization contacted federal officials as soon as it became aware of the situation. He offered assurances that all the missing money is being recovered. Team officials are expected to brief their ownership group on the progress of the investigation tomorrow morning.

Two sources told The Sacramento Bee that the cash in question was part of advertising contracts the companies signed with the team, including naming rights for the Golden 1 Center. David, who was in charge of negotiating ad contracts and corporate partnerships, allegedly asked for advance payments from the two companies and diverted that money into a company he set up called Sacramento Sports Partners LLC.

The Heat also issued a statement today and have placed David on leave while the probe continues, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).

“We are aware of the investigation of Jeff David, which focuses on events that took place prior to his joining our team,” the statement read. “We are fully cooperating with the authorities. Jeff David is on leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.”