Former NBA star Mookie Blaylock sentenced to seven years in Georgia priso

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Mookie Blaylock was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by eight years of probation for killing a woman in a May 2013 crash
Authorities have said Blaylock knew he should not have been driving due to a seizure disorder when his SUV crossed the center line and collided with a minivan
Monica Murphy, a mother of five in the other vehicle, died of her injuries hours after the accident, authorities have said
Blaylock played with the Atlanta Hawks from 1992 to 1999 and also spent time with the New Jersey Nets and Golden State Warriors

By Reuters and Zoe Szathmary for MailOnline

Published: 18:56 EST, 27 October 2014 | Updated: 08:26 EST, 28 October 2014

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Former National Basketball Association star Mookie Blaylock was sentenced on Monday to seven years in a Georgia prison followed by eight years of probation for killing a woman in a head-on traffic crash last year, court records show.

Blaylock, known for his defensive prowess during a 13-year NBA career that ended in 2002, knew he should not have been driving due to a seizure disorder when his SUV crossed the center line and collided with a minivan outside Atlanta in May 2013, authorities have said.

Sentenced: Mookie Blaylock was sentenced on Monday to seven years in a Georgia prison followed by eight years of probation for killing a woman in a head-on traffic crash last year

Star: Blaylock is seen here playing with the Atlanta Hawks, and also spent time with the New Jersey Nets and Golden State Warriors

Monica Murphy, a mother of five who was a passenger in the other vehicle, died of her injuries hours after the accident, authorities have said. Blaylock was in critical condition after the crash but recovered.

Blaylock, 47, pleaded guilty on Monday to vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle, according to Clayton County court records.

At the time of the crash, he faced an arrest warrant for failure to appear in court on drug possession and drunken-driving charges in a nearby county, according to police.

Authorities never cited alcohol as playing a role in the fatal accident.

Blaylock may only spend three years in prison if he attends alcohol abuse counseling and meets other criteria, lawyer Amanda Palmer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Blaylock (seen here in 1990 playing for the New Jersey Nets) twice was on the NBA's All-Defensive First Team, and he was an NBA All-Star in 1994

'He has admitted he has a problem with alcohol and he is getting treatment for that,' Palmer told the newspaper, and also mentioned a DI arrest as well as 'several past DUI convictions.'

However, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he tested negative for alcohol in the 2013 incident.

Palmer also said that in the courthouse '[Blaylock] said something to the effect that the accident had changed him, and I think he was referring to his drinking. Mr. Murphy [Frank Murphy, Monica Murphy's husband] spoke and said he understood it was a negotiated sentence... I can’t say he went so far to let say he was okay with it but I guess he let the court know he didn’t oppose it.'

The former basketball player is reportedly a patient of Potter's House, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

As a basketball player, Blaylock's ability to shut down opposing players twice earned him a place on the NBA's All-Defensive First Team, and he was an NBA All-Star in 1994.

He played with the Atlanta Hawks from 1992 to 1999 and also spent time with the New Jersey Nets and Golden State Warriors.