Keyon Dooling‘s life has been a battle—one that started with childhood trauma and later led to legal troubles in his 40s. Many NBA fans will remember his shocking arrest in 2022 when he was added to a criminal case involving 18 former players accused of defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan. While he has moved on from the emotional toll of the case, the memories still linger, as he’s now revealed to Udonis Haslem.

During an episode of The OGs podcast, featuring Dooling, Udonis Haslem brought up his legal struggles, prompting the 44-year-old to reflect on how he handled one of the toughest chapters of his life.“It’s been a rough two-year period… Coming from the apex, being in, you know, coaching at the highest level to being indicted… That’s a long fall from grace… And then the fallout that comes along with it. So the silence, the isolation, you know, you have to kind of reformulate who you are,” Dooling shared.

Imagine going from coaching in the NBA to suddenly finding yourself in a courtroom, facing charges that could change your life forever. That’s the reality that Udonis Haslem’s former teammate from the Miami Heat lived through. He had to pick up the pieces, find new ways to earn a living, and figure out his next move. “And then you’re dealing with the system as well. Because I was facing a lot of time and I had a lot of guys cooperating against me. So to be able to stand in the face of that like a man and accept responsibility and not implicate or include anybody. I like the way that I handled that,” he said.

For those who missed what Dooling was hinting at subtly, Udonis Haslem translated it, saying Dooling could have snitched on others, but he made the tough choice not to.  It turns out that for Dooling, it wasn’t just about getting through the case. It was about standing by his principles. “I appreciate the translation… To me, it’s not about that… If you do something, you have to, you know, deal with the consequences… I’m big on consequences… That [snitching] wasn’t the route that I chose to go,” he said on the podcast.

For those unaware, the former NBA star’s legal troubles date back to 2022 when he was arrested and formally linked to a scheme where 18 former players allegedly defrauded the NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan. The case initially surfaced in October of that year, with federal officials accusing the group of falsely claiming about $2.5 million in benefits. But the rewritten indictment expanded the charges, bringing Dooling into the fold.

A quick recap of Keyon Dooling’s legal controversy

Dooling was one of three additional names added to the case. He and the others were charged with health care fraud and wire conspiracy, with prosecutors stating that the fraudulent scheme lasted from at least 2017 to 2020.

The numbers were staggering. Individual false claims ranged from $65,000 to $420,000, and according to the indictment, Dooling personally pocketed around $350,000. In total, roughly $5 million in false claims were submitted.

It was a great blow and setback to Dooling, as before his arrest, he had been a key figure in the union’s wellness program, helping players with their mental health and well-being. No wonder he was able to handle the mental stress of his troubles.