Locked In with Ian Bick
Locked In with Ian Bick

I Was a D1 Basketball Player — Then Got 45 Years In Prison | Harold Doby III

August 19, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2019, Harold Doby III was a former Division I basketball player who had played professionally in Colombia and was working at a chemical plant in Augusta, Georgia. One night after a bar, a fight broke out that he says he was not involved in. As he sat in his car trying to leave, a group of men surrounded it, and one opened his door aggressively. Doby, who had a concealed carry license, fired a single warning shot. The bullet struck a man in the side. Doby stayed at the scene and spoke with police, who let him go that night. Days later, he was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, simple battery, and possession of a firearm. He was eventually sentenced to 20 years of probation and ordered to pay $155,000 in restitution within 12 months. When he could not pay, his probation was revoked, and he was resentenced to 45 years in prison.

A Childhood Shaped by Absence and Expectation

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What you'll learn

  • 1 Timestamped Navigation Outline
  • 2 (02:01) **Introduction: From D1 Athlete to 45-Year Sentence** - Ian introduces Harold Doby III, a former Division I basketball player whose career ended in a 45-year prison sentence
  • 3 (03:03) **Family Background: A Father's Double Life** - Harold reveals his father was a drug dealer posing as an entrepreneur, and his mother was a corrections officer
  • 4 (05:17) **Growing Up in the Hood: Avoiding the Trap** - Harold explains how his mother tried to keep him away from street life through sports, but peer influence pulled him in
  • 5 (10:40) **The Father Wound and Its Consequences** - Harold discusses whether he blames his father and why some siblings ended up in prison while others didn't
  • 6 (12:45) **Becoming a Father at 16: The Motivation Shift** - Harold explains how having a daughter at 16 changed his trajectory and pushed him toward basketball and education
  • 7 (15:25) **The Basketball Journey: High School to College** - Harold traces his path from ESPN top-100 recruit to Georgia State, then JUCO, then Augusta State

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Harold Doby III grew up in Georgia with a mother who worked as a correctional officer and a father who was secretly a drug dealer — and when his father was sentenced to 19 years in prison Harold was seven years old and sports became the thing that kept everything together. He had his first child at 16, went on to play Division 1 and Division 2 college basketball, played overseas until an injury ended his career, and then fired a single shot from his licensed firearm in self defense during a bar altercation he says he was not a part of — and watched that decision produce a nearly $200,000 restitution order, 20 years of probation, and eventually a 45 year prison sentence when job loss and injuries made the restitution impossible to pay in the time the court required.

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#justice #selfdefense #truecrimecommunity #prisonsentence

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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:

https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en

https://ianbick.com/

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Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction: From D1 Ball to Prison
00:25 Growing Up in Augusta, Georgia
01:16 Dad's Arrest and Double Life
03:16 Avoiding Trouble and the Golden Kid
05:21 Teenage Mischief and the Firework Incident
06:04 Dad's Legacy and Impact
07:57 Could He Have Avoided Prison?
09:21 Siblings and Different Paths
10:48 Becoming a Father at 16
12:42 Turning Point: Moving to Florida
14:27 College Hoops and the Georgia State Struggle
16:34 Finding a Home at Augusta State
18:16 Going Pro Overseas
21:01 The Career-Ending Foot Injury
23:07 Life After Basketball and a New Purpose
25:49 Sponsor: Cash App
28:06 The 2019 Night That Changed Everything
31:29 Self-Defense and the Warning Shot
32:42 Arrest and the DA's Game
36:34 A String of Unhelpful Lawyers
40:02 Tased by Police and Losing an Eye
41:13 The Open Plea and Sentencing
45:45 The Impossible $155,

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