Jarred Shaw, an American basketball player playing in Indonesia, recently shed light on his prison struggles, like how ex-NBA player Sebastian Telfair did last year. He has been serving time for drug charges. However, his battle behind bars is made worse by his health concerns brought about by his crippling Crohn’s disease, which causes severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
In May 2025, Shaw had ordered a shipment of 132 cannabis gummies, which authorities intercepted, for medical use. With Indonesia treating cannabis possession the same as hard drugs, he faced the death penalty. He ultimately avoided the penalty, and in December 2025, a court convicted him and sentenced him to 26 months in prison. During the proceedings, tests showed that his medical condition required hospitalization.
As reported by USA TODAY, medical treatment has been nowhere to be seen since the start of his sentence. Now, Shaw is pleading for release to get proper medical help.“I feel like that’s what’s most important. Yeah, I committed a crime I wasn’t aware of. You know, the laws and stuff here. But I feel like the most important thing for me right now, and that’s to get back to Texas so I can get to a doctor, get back to my family, to my mom,” he said.
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Shaw’s Situation Reveals The Harsh Conditions Of Indonesian Prisons
According to the report, about 40 pounds have been shed from Shaw’s weight of 245 pounds ever since he was arrested. Before his nightmare, he was playing for the Tangerang Hawks Basketball Club in the Indonesian Basketball League. As he continues to plead with the authorities for his release, Shaw said he is doing what he can to survive the harsh prison conditions.
“My day-to-day, it is just that I try to take a little medicine that they give me, but it’s not really helping…Some days are better than others. It’s not where it needs to be. I still feel sick quite often. I am asking for sympathy, and hopefully a miracle can happen,” he told USA TODAY. He and his legal team are calling for a “compassionate release” from the Indonesian government.
Drafted 18th in the 2015 NBA D-League draft by the Santa Cruz Warriors, the 35-year-old Dallas native has competed professionally in Japan, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. In Indonesia, he won a 2023 IBL Championship with Prawira Harum Bandung and received an IBL All-Star nod in 2024 with Satria Muda Pertamina. In college, he starred for Oklahoma State and Utah State.
Published: Mar 6, 2026 01:45 pm