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A South Florida judge scolded and fined a former NBA star who failed to show up for jury duty.
NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen was scolded by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke who ordered him to donate $1,000 to charity after he failed to show up for a trial that he was picked to be a juror on.
Cooke told Allen during Wednesday’s hearing that he disrespected the court by skipping out on jury service, telling Allen “no man or woman is above performing that civic duty.”
Allen had been picked to serve as a juror in a fatal carjacking trial, but did not appear, even after Cooke delayed the trial a day so Allen could attend the jersey retirement ceremony of former teammate Kevin Garnett.
William McCue, an attorney representing Allen during Wednesday’s hearing, apologized to Cooke and said Allen’s absence “was a complete misunderstanding.”
The trial went on without Allen on the jury, and the defendant was convicted.
Allen played 18 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018.