Washburn Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Cocaine Possession

Chris Washburn, a former first-round NBA draft choice by the Golden State Warriors, faces three years in prison for cocaine possession.

Washburn, who played center for the Warriors and Atlanta Hawks after leaving North Carolina State, was sentenced Thursday by State District Judge Wendell Odom.

Washburn, 25, was arrested at a Houston apartment complex July 6 by officers who said a cocaine pipe was found nearby.

He was suspended for life from the NBA in 1989 for drug use. Washburn since has completed a program at the John Lucas Treatment and Recovery Center in Houston and had played earlier this year for Tulsa of the Continental Basketball Assn.

Prosecutor Colleen Barnett had asked for at least a five-year sentence. But Washburn had pleaded for probation: “I’m a lot older. I understand my position. Also, I have a child on the way, and I’m trying to settle down and raise a family.

“I have a chance to play basketball, and I know it’s more of a privilege to play than just something to do.”