Former NBA prospect and ‘Semi-Pro’ actor Rashid Byrd is sentenced to 90 years in prison after being found guilty of ‘a series of violent sexual assaults’

Ex-NBA prospect and ‘Semi-Pro’ actor Rashid Byrd has been sentenced to 90 years to life in prison after being found guilty of a series of sexual assaults dating back to 2015.

The 42-year-old, former basketball player, who had stints in the NBA’s G-League with the LA Lakers’ D-Fenders (now South Bay Lakers) and the Houston Rockets’ Rio Grand Valley Vipers, was handed his sentence on Friday, four years on from his arrest. 

The LAPD initially looked into Bryrd after receiving reports from one of his victims in 2019. He was arrested in September 2020 and held on a $4,150,000 bail. 

In a statement released on Friday, the LAPD said its investigation uncovered ‘a series of violent sexual assaults that occurred in Los Angeles and Santa Clara Counties between 2015 and 2020.’ 

In the past, Byrd, who went undrafted in the 2003 NBA Draft, was also found guilty of two other cases of sexual assault, one in 2010 concerning a different victim. 

Rashid Byrd, who played in the NBA D-League and starred in Will Ferrell’s 2008 comedy ‘Semi-Pro’, was sentenced to 90 years in prison for a series of sexual assaults

Byrd, 42, tried out acting while pursuing a pro basketball career and would ‘charm’ his victims 

‘Detectives also discovered that Byrd has been arrested for sexually assaulting a young woman in Washington State in 2005,’ the LAPD’s statement further disclosed.

Byrd – a seven-ft-one center – tried out acting while pursuing a pro basketball career and would charms his victims by applying drama skills he had learned, at the time, according to authorities. 

‘He started as a charmer, playing up his status as an athlete and pseudo-celebrity, but that quickly faded into rapes and violence,’ LAPD Detective Dara Brown said.

Starting out his acting career in commercials at first, Byrd went on to be casted in Will Ferrell’s 2008 comedy ‘Semi-Pro,’ where he took on the role of being one of the comedian’s Flint Tropics teammate. 

Byrd was also in the 2009 basketball documentary ‘Bring Your ”A” Game,’ alongside Mario Van Peebles, Ice Cub and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. 

Byrd (top row, fifth from right), who’s seven-ft-one, played as a center in both ‘Semi-Pro’ and real life

The former hooper (R) scored 99 points in 299 minutes during the 200-90 D-League season 

He previously signed contracts with the Lakers and the Sacramento Kings despite never being involved in an NBA game in his life, and made 21 appearances in the D-League (now G-League) throughout the 2008-09 season, scoring 99 points in 299 minutes, according to Eurobasket.com. 

Byrd also played in Europe, according to KTLA. 

The LAPD announced Byrd’s sentencing on Friday, saying they were thankful that he would be locked up for a long time. 

‘The LAPD is grateful for the brave women who came forward to tell their stories,’ Brown said. ‘While this investigation has gone on for years, we are thankful that Byrd is no longer on the streets.’ 

Brown appeared to be in charge of Byrd’s case, seemingly asking his victims ‘that with information regarding his crimes contact her.’