Rex Chapman Pleads Guilty in Apple Store Shoplifting Case: Details and Reaction

Former 12-year NBA veteran Rex Chapman pleaded guilty to four felony counts of theft last Friday, per Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader. The charges stem from an incident last September during which he stole $14,000 worth of merchandise from an Apple Store in Scottsdale, Arizona.

According to Tipton, Chapman will serve 750 hours of community service and remain on probation for a period of time yet to be determined. The 47-year-old will also pay $15,128.30 back to the Apple Store in question.

The Arizona Republic obtained a copy of the surveillance video from the Apple Store showing Chapman committing the thefts. The paper detailed the way in which he stole various products:  

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Scottsdale police said Chapman would make it appear that he was purchasing the items through an iPhone app that allows customers to self-checkout within an Apple store. Chapman would then leave without actually paying for the items, police said.

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The clips show the former University of Kentucky star and basketball announcer walking through the store, standing around display stands with other customers and on at least one occasion picking up a boxed item. Chapman appears to be holding an Apple sales bag in several of the clips, and in the longest surveillance videos, he lingers near a headphone display stand for several seconds picking up boxes.

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Chapman retired from the NBA in 2000 with the Phoenix Suns. In 666 career games, he averaged 14.6 points and 2.7 assists a night, spending time with the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Bullets and Miami Heat before moving to Phoenix.

Following his retirement, Chapman has worked as a TV analyst in addition to holding basketball-related roles with the Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.