RealGM

NEW YORK (AP)—Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the league’s reputation and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating.

The sentencing in Brooklyn federal court culminated a case that hung over the league throughout the season and even into the NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. League commissioner David Stern has repeatedly denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among referees goes beyond him.

Donaghy’s lawyer had asked the judge for probation. Donaghy had faced up to 33 months in prison, but the judge gave him credit for his cooperation.

Folding his arms but showing no other emotion, the 41-year-old Donaghy apologized to the court. “I brought shame on myself and my family,” he said.

Donaghy pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce for taking payoffs from a professional gambler for inside tips on games.