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LAS VEGAS — (Associated Press) - Former NBA star Antoine Walker was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and ordered to pay $770,050 in restitution to three Las Vegas casinos after pleading guilty to failing to repay gambling debts.
Walker and his lawyer declined to comment after his brief appearance before Clark County District Court Judge Valorie Vega.
Walker has repaid some of his Las Vegas casino debts since his arrest in July 2009 in Lake Tahoe, where he planned to play in a celebrity golf tournament.
The felony charge could be dismissed if Walker fully repays the remaining debts incurred in 2008 and 2009 at the Planet Hollywood, Red Rock Casino Resort and Caesars Palace casinos, prosecutor Samuel Bateman said. Walker faces a year in prison if he violates probation.
Walker, 35, starred on Kentucky’s 1996 NCAA national title team and was a three-time All-Star with the Boston Celtics before winning a 2006 NBA championship with the Miami Heat. He also played in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2008.
Walker filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in 2010. He played last year with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League.
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