President Trump Pardons Rap Star NBA YoungBoy, Here’s How The Rapper Responded

NBA YoungBoy, who is a Louisiana rapper convicted on gun charges, has received a presidential pardon from President Trump.

Kentrell Gaulden, who goes by the stage name NBA YoungBoy, was sentenced last year on federal gun charges after possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon.

Gaulden signed a plea deal that would give him a 23-month sentence and was ordered to pay a $200,000 fine.

After Trump pardoned him, Gaulden stated, “I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and for giving me the opportunity to keep building—as a man, as a father, and as an artist.”

He added, “It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this.”

President Trump has officially pardoned NBA YoungBoy.

(via FOX News) pic.twitter.com/iaIxdVyNdA

— Kurrco (@Kurrco) May 28, 2025

NBA YOUNGBOY THANK YOU LETTER TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP 💚 pic.twitter.com/RacvAAgsJC

— Youngboy Snippets (@YoungboySnippet) May 28, 2025

Here’s what Fox News reported:

A Louisiana rapper who was convicted on gun charges is now thanking President Donald Trump for pardoning him, saying he is “giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist.”

NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, made the statement as Trump issued a number of pardons Wednesday.

Last year, Gaulden was sentenced by a federal judge in Utah after he acknowledged possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon. However, he reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him — one carried a 23-month sentence and the other ordered five years of probation and a $200,000 fine.

“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and for giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” Gaulden, whose stage moniker stands for “Never Broke Again,” wrote on his Instagram. “This moment means a lot.”

“It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this,” Gaulden added.

Gaulden was released from federal prison in March and sent to home confinement after receiving credit for time served, his attorney Drew Findling told the Associated Press. With home confinement finished last month, the pardon means he won’t have to follow the terms of his probation, including drug testing, he said.

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“From Louisiana to Utah the battles have been endless, and now he can concentrate on first and foremost his family, and then, of course, his amazing career,” Findling said in a statement.

NBA YoungBoy expresses his gratitude to President Trump for pardoning him pic.twitter.com/2JxwlFXPQ2

— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) May 28, 2025

Per AP:

Louisiana rap artist NBA YoungBoy, who was sentenced to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges, was pardoned by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

The rapper is among a number of high-profile people Trump pardoned this week, including a former New York congressman, a labor union leader and a reality TV star couple.

“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, said in a statement posted online.

Gaulden’s pardon was confirmed Wednesday evening by two White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail actions that had not yet been formally made public.

In 2024, Gaulden was sentenced by a federal judge in Utah after he acknowledged possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon. He reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him — one carried a 23-month sentence and the other ordered five years of probation and a $200,000 fine.

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