After being in custody nearly 3½ years, a former professional basketball player will be spending the rest of his life in prison.
Rashid Byrd, who played in the NBA D-League and overseas, was sentenced to 90 years to life for a series of violent sexual assaults.
Byrd was arrested by Los Angeles Police in 2020, after they investigated a victim’s report that she was assaulted by Byrd the previous year.
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Rashid Byrd of the Los Angeles D-Fenders boxes out during a game at Staples Center Nov. 30, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Johnny Vy/NBAE via Getty Images)
That investigation found Byrd was also convicted of sexual assault in 2010 and arrested for a sexual assault in Washington in 2005.
“He started as a charmer, playing up his status as an athlete and pseudo-celebrity, but that quickly faded into rapes and violence,” said Det. Dara Brown, the lead investigator on the case.
Rashid Byrd of the Los Angeles D-Fenders during a D-League game against the Bakersfield Jam at Staples Center Dec. 14, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Johnny Vy/NBAE via Getty Images)
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“The LAPD is grateful for the brave women who came forward to tell their stories,” Brown added. “While this investigation has gone on for years, we are thankful that Byrd is no longer on the streets.”
Byrd, who stands at 7-foot-1, signed contracts with both the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings but never appeared in an NBA game. He played in 19 games for the Lakers’ D-League affiliate in the 2008-09 season.
Rashid Byrd attends the GBK Luxury Sports Lounge prior to the ESPY Awards at W Hollywood July 15, 2014, in Hollywood, Calif. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for GBK Productions)
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Byrd also appeared in the Will Ferrell hit “Semi-Pro.”
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