NEW YORK (AP) — A Georgia businessman was convicted Friday of scamming former NBA star 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.
During closing arguments Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Thompson said the proof that Darden “committed these crimes is overwhelming.”
The prosecutor said Darden spent at least $6.1 million of the $7 million he got from Howard. That included spending $500,000 on two cars; $110,000 on a piano; $765,000 for a down payment on a $3.7 million home; $90,000 on luxury watches and another half-million dollars for home upgrades in addition to hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on art.
Prosecutors said they planned to seize all of Darden’s assets, including his Atlanta home, along with luxury automobiles, art and jewelry.
Darden’s lawyer insisted his client won’t commit additional frauds and is needed by his family.
Darden's father, Cal Darden, is a former senior vice president for operations at Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. who has sat on the boards of several major companies. Darden's lawyer Xavier Donaldson argued that his client never impersonated his father with the athletes and accused prosecutors of trying to get jurors to use “guesswork, speculation, unreasonable inference” to reach a guilty verdict.
FILE - Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard looks on during an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, March 16, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Carolina-Vegas series was largely expected to be a Stanley Cup Final in which goals were at a premium and each shift felt like a march up a well-defended hill.
Yeah, that isn't this.
Another two-goal lead went the way of the landline on Tuesday night, the go-ahead shot came from a 37-year-old on his stomach on one of the great runs in Cup final history, and the winning goalie made his first start in two months and doesn't know if that will be his last one this postseason.
None of it makes sense and yet it all somehow does in this series that is now even after four games — probably aptly so — because of Jordan Staal's second goal at 6:32 of the third period that came while sprawled on the ice in what became a 5-3 Hurricanes victory over for the Golden Knights.
“It's a wild ride, isn't it?” Staal said. “There's a lot of emotion, lots of ups and downs.”
Now the series heads back to Carolina for Game 5 on Thursday night. The Hurricanes will potentially have two games on home ice to win their first Cup in two decades. Coach Rod Brind'Amour captained that 2006 team, and though he's not ready to look at the big picture, he recognizes this is a unique final.
“I know I need to (appreciate it) because this doesn’t come across very often," Brind'Amour said. "But it is pretty stressful.”
The same applies at the other end, where the 9-year-old Golden Knights chase their second championship in four years. Their position isn't all that different from when the day started — two more wins and they're there — but now they need to win at least once more on the road.
“We need to flush it and get ready for our next game," Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t think we should be looking any farther than just the next game.”
Whichever team winds up losing can point to a number of moments that could have changed the outcome.
Each game until this one was decided by one goal. It appeared this one would as well until Nikolaj Ehlers deposited an empty-net goal from 187 feet.
A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games in what has been a remarkable series in which momentum often changes at a moment's notice. Each team has led by at least that many twice.
The 33 combined goals are tied for the third highest in a Cup final with the Islanders-Flyers series in 1980.
Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the final and the ninth overall. Mike Bossy in 1982 with the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks was the last player to score in the first four games of a final.
Ehlers' goal was part of a three-point night for him, Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist and Logan Stankoven scored a goal.
Brandon Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen in goal and made 18 saves, and including his work in relief in Game 2, Bussi has 36 saves on 40 shots. Brind'Amour said that Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup goalie with Andersen serving as the emergency goaltender.
“If you're going to give him a break, you need to give him a break," Brind'Amour said. “So to me, him dressing and going through all that does not really give him a night off.”
Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored goals for the Golden Knights, and Carter Hart made 23 saves. Karlsson also had an assist.
The Hurricanes came out blazing, taking a 3-1 lead in the first period. Vegas nearly cut it to one, but Brayden McNabb's goal came right after the period ended and didn't count.
Vegas scored twice in the second to tie the game, and the Golden Knights have now outscored Carolina 9-1 in that period.
But the Golden Knights failed to add to that total, shifting home-ice advantage back to the Hurricanes.
“We knew it was going to be a tight series,” Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “We’re playing a really good team and 2-2, best out of three and fly out to Carolina (Wednesday) and take care of business in Game 5.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden, right, celebrates his goal as Carolina Hurricanes right wing Seth Jarvis skates away during the second period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden celebrates his goal during the second period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal, right, celebrates his goal during the first period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi, right, is scored on by Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers as defenseman Alexander Nikishin watches during the second overtime in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov, center, celebrates his goal with defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, left, and center Sebastian Aho during the third period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, top, celebrates his goal with center Tomas Hertl during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
