Amid NBA crackdowns and investigations, an old federal case has become a huge topic again. Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis is out of prison and igniting a fiery social media war across the NBA community. After the former Boston Celtics forward alleged that several major NBA stars and media personalities were investigated in connection with a multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme he went to prison for, those very people are responding.

While on the Locked In with Ian Bick podcast, he alleged that Matt Barnes, Stephen Jackson, Gilbert Arenas, Kendrick Perkins and more NBA players were investigated by federal authorities. Following Davis’ explosive comments, prominent former players wasted no time firing back to clear their names and slam Davis for spreading unverified claims.

Matt Barnes took to the comments section of a post sharing the interview clip to directly confront his former peer, writing, “@gbbabydavis wtf you talkin about. i was never investigated for s—. Don’t try & drag me into that bulls—.”

Barnes’ All The Smoke co-host Stephen Jackson quickly stepped in to echo the sentiment, forcefully rejecting Davis’ accusations right under Barnes’ comment.

“@matt_barnes9 neither was I,” Jackson replied under the post. “We ain’t got nothing to do with it.”

Further, former All-Star Gilbert Arenas released a video response addressing the claim with his trademark humor, Disney villain laugh, and defiance, ridiculing the idea that he had any involvement in the health care scam.

“When you say Gilbert Arenas, you mean me? Brother, the only money I’ve ever stolen, was the NBA contract money,” Arenas said in a video on Instagram. “Yeah, when I was sitting, they was paying $66 million.

“I don’t know where my name came in that, brother. I don’t know nothing about this. I got my corn. As for the other one who already did this. allegedly. Yeah, yeah. So that means I still got all of it. Six, seven hundred thousand, whatever was on that corn, I still got it. Y’all need something? You want to try it again? Come on, Big Baby. Come on, man.”

It wasn’t just the people ‘Big Baby’ name-dropped. Other NBA veterans joined the conversation across social media with reactions ranging from disbelief to outright mockery.

Former champion J.R. Smith responded under a post with a series of emojis, writing, “🧀😭🤦🏽‍♂️.”

Former Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli chimed in with a sarcastic remark, writing, “‘come out yall we got caught’😂.”

Meanwhile, veteran forward P.J. Tucker expressed his disappointment with “😔🤦🏽‍♂️,” and Wilson Chandler urged Davis to back off, commenting, “Come on Big Baby. Don’t do that.”

Glen Davis alleges NBA cover-up following healthcare fraud conviction

The intense backlash stems from Davis’ recent interview with Ian Bick, where the 2008 NBA champion claimed he was made a scapegoat in the federal investigation that uncovered a massive scheme to defraud the NBA Players’ Health and Benefit Welfare Plan. Davis was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison in May 2024 after being convicted of health care fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy, serving 17 months before his release.

During his sit-down with Bick, Davis alleged that federal prosecutors and the league selectively targeted certain retired players while allowing bigger names to avoid jail time or publicity.

“I think the NBA let the feds pick who they wanted and choose to, right? Because if 180 people were investigated, subpoenaed, we didn’t hear about all those people,” Davis stated. “We just heard about the 20, you know, 22 people that got caught or that got jammed in a situation, right?

“A lot of people played out. They didn’t go to jail, you know what I mean? They didn’t even go get time served.”

When host Ian Bick asked if those unnamed players actually stole money, Davis insisted that many players engaged in similar activities and that the league covered up their involvement to protect its public image.

“Yeah. Actually stole money. Thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Davis claimed. “Your favorite podcasts, people you see on different podcasts, Matt Barnes, Stephen Jack, all those people were investigated. Gilbert Arenas, Corey Maggette, Cuttino Mobley, thousands of NBA players were investigated. They just let some of them go to jail. Some of them the feds got.”

Davis continued by questioning why certain individuals named in the initial federal indictment received lighter sentences or probation compared to his prison term.

“Like how Tony Allen, like he didn’t go to jail, he’s still out,” Davis added, pointing to his former Boston teammate Kendrick Perkins as another example of someone who avoided prison time despite being connected to the inquiry.

The underlying federal case, which broke in October 2021, involved more than 18 former NBA players accused of submitting fraudulent medical and dental claims for procedures that were never performed. Former NBA guard Terrence Williams was identified as the ringleader and sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Keyon Dooling received a 30-month sentence and Alan Anderson was sentenced to 24 months.

For most of the proceedings, Davis maintained his innocence and even told Bick that he sought legitimate reimbursement for a severe ankle and foot injury sustained during his playing career. But federal prosecutors successfully argued that he filed false invoices for medical treatment. Despite Davis’ claims of a broader conspiracy, his public name-dropping has drawn firm denials from the peers he dragged into the spotlight.