Former Celtics Player Jabari Bird Back In Court

BROOKLINE, MA — Former Celtics player Jabari Bird, of Brighton, admitted to strangling and kidnapping and a list of other complaints today connected to a Sept. 7, 2018, alleged domestic violence assault on a former girlfriend, according to the District Attorney's office.

At today’s hearing in Brookline on the complaint charging him with strangulation or suffocation, kidnapping, assault and battery on a household member, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, threats to commit a crime, and witness intimidation Bird,24, admitted to them, according to the District Attorney.

Judge David T. Donnelly did not enter a finding as to guilt, requested an aid-in-sentencing report from probation officers, and continued the case to May 28 for disposition.

Bird was arraigned in September on charges of assault and battery on a household or family member, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, and strangulation or suffocation. He pleaded not guilty at that time and was released on $50,000 bail, with instructions not to leave the state.

He recently was back in Brighton District court to face new charges of threats and intimidation related to the earlier assault charges.

Prosecutors said in September Bird strangled his girlfriend, a local college student, multiple times to the point of her losing consciousness in an incident that lasted some four hours. When she came to, he strangled her again. He also trapped in her a bathroom, prosecutors said. She was able to eventually escape after he passed out.

"The Celtics organization deplores domestic violence of any kind, and we are deeply disturbed by the allegations against Jabari Bird," the team said in a September statement. The team signed him to a two-year deal this summer worth $3 million to round out their roster, before trading him in February.

Because the Brighton District Court is undergoing renovations, Jabari was set to appear in Brookline District Court, which is where the Brighton court is doing business for the next year.

RELATED:

• Jabari Bird Arrested, Charged With Kidnapping, Assault (Sept. 8)
• Celtics Player Jabari Bird Hospitalized, Delaying Arraignment (Sept. 10)
• Celtics Jabari Bird Choked Girlfriend Multiple Times: Prosecutor(Sept. 18)
• Boston Celtics Trade Jabari Bird (Feb. 2019)