Rex Chapman sentenced to probation, to pay restitution after guilty plea

Former Kentucky basketball star Rex Chapman has been sentenced to probation and agreed to pay more than $15,000 to an Apple Store in Arizona and complete 750 hours of community service after pleading guilty in a shoplifting case, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Jerry Cobb, who is a spokesman for the Maricopa County (Arizona) Attorney's Office, told the newspaper that Chapman pleaded guilty to four Class 6 felony charges (the lowest level felony offense) on Friday inMaricopa County Superior Court.

Chapman, 47, is next due back in court on Sept. 25 when he will learn the length of his probation. He also agreed to pay back half of the $15,128.30 he has agreed to repay the Apple Store in Scottsdale at that hearing, with the rest of the money due by the end of his probation, the newspaper reported.

It's possible the judge at the Sept. 25 hearing might reduce Chapman's felony charges to misdemeanors, Cobb told the newspaper, which is "fairly common" when a defendant's crime isn't violent or serious in nature.

Cobb told the newspaper that Chapman also agreed to repay additional restitution (maximum $10,000) to the Apple Store"for any additional losses the victim establishment may have incurred that we're not aware of yet."

In September, Chapman was arrested and charged with shoplifting $14,000 worth of merchandise from an Apple store in Scottsdale and then selling the items at a pawn shop.

Police said Chapman made it appear he was using the store's self-checkout but left without paying. He was accused of stealing from the store seven times and selling the items for cash.

Chapman told Sports Illustrated in a story published in its July 27 issue that he doesn't remember committing the thefts because of an addiction to prescription narcotics that he said he has battled for 15 years. Chapman checked into a 28-day rehab program in Louisville 10 days after his arrest.

"I don't want to claim something I don't remember," Chapman told SI. "I'm just being as open and honest as I can be. I remember very little about it, little to none."

Chapman was a first-round draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets in 1988. He also played for the Washington Bullets, Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns in a 12-year NBA career that ended in 2000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.