Glen Rice
Glen Anthony Rice (b. May 28, 1967, in Flint, Michigan) is a retired American Basketball player from the NBA. Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star shooting guard/small forward well known for his pinpoint shooting accuracy, ranking 4th in NBA history with 1,559 three-point field goals made during his 15-year career. Rice has been a player on both a team that won an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and a team that won an NBA Championship. As an individual, he has won both the NBA All-Star Game MVP and the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards.
College career[]
Rice played College basketball for the University of Michigan Wolverines for four seasons (1985-1989), starting for three. He became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,442 points. He led Michigan to the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, scoring an NCAA-record 184 points in tournament play, a record that still stands. Rice was also voted the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and was part of the Associated Press All-America second-team. After Rice's junior year, he was offered to join the 1988 Olympic basketball team, but was cut before reaching the group of 48. On February 20, 2005, Rice's No. 41 jersey was retired during a ceremony at Michigan's Crisler Arena.
NBA career[]
After starting his senior season as a projected mid-first-round selection, after his performance in the NCAA Tournament his stock rose to the point where he was selected #4 overall in the 1989 by the second-year Miami Heat, who were in dire need of offensive help after finishing last in the NBA in points per game in 1988-89.
In Miami, after only averaging 13.6 points per game his rookie season, Rice averaged 20 ppg for his remaining five seasons in Miami, which also included two trips to the playoffs, but without winning a series during Rice's tenure.
Days before the start of the 1995, Rice was traded to the Charlotte Hornets along with Matt Geiger in exchange for disgruntled Hornets center Alonzo Mourning. It was a trade that worked out for both teams, as Mourning quickly established himself as an All-Star in Miami, and Rice would make the first of three consecutive All-Star Game appearances, including in 1996-97, where he would be named the All-Star Game MVP.
In 1999, Rice was again traded along with J.R. Reid, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Eddie Jones (basketball) and Elden Campbell and was considered the last piece of the puzzle for the Lakers to return to the NBA Finals. Though the Lakers would lose to the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs that season, with Rice a virtual non-factor in the series, Rice was a key member of the Laker squad who a year later would win the 2000 NBA Championship over the Indiana Pacers.
Rice played 15 seasons in the NBA from 1989-2004. He was a three-time All-Star who finished with career averages of 18.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 1,000 regular-season games with the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. He finished with 18,336 career points. Rice peaked as a member of the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996-1997 season when he was third in the league in scoring behind only Michael Jordan and Karl Malone averaging 26.8 points per game.
Rice also played in 55 career playoff games, averaging 16.1 points and 4.5 rebounds. He averaged 16.3 points in three All-Star games.
Early in his career, Rice was the primary scorer for the Heat and the Hornets. When he was traded to the Lakers, he became a third scorer behind Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. In the championship he won with the Lakers in 2000, he led the team alongside Bryant and O'Neal.
After winning a championship with the Lakers, Rice was traded to the New York Knicks where he would take on a sixth-man role on the team and provide the Knicks with well needed support off the bench.
His personal outstanding achievement in the NBA came when he was named MVP of the 1997 All-Star game, which was commemorating the 50th anniversary of NBA. In the game, he set All-Star game records of 20 points in the third quarter and 24 points in the second half. He also won the NBA All-Star Long Distance Shootout at the 1995 All-Star game in Phoenix.
Rice scored a career-high 56 points on April 15, 1995 while playing for the Heat in a nationally-televised game against Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic. Rice hit 20 of 27 shots from the floor, including 7 of 8 from the 3-point line. The 56 points were an NBA season-high for the 1994-95 season.
Rice remains the Hornets' all-time leader in scoring average with 23.5 points per game. Despite only playing 79 of 82 games, he led the NBA in minutes played in 1997 (3362). That same season he led the league in 3-point field goal percentage (47.0%).
In the closing years of his career, he struggled with his weight (leading to knee problems) and became slow to keep up with the emerging younger talent in the NBA.
Arrest[]
On January 11, 2008, he was arrested in Miami on suspicion of felony battery after police say he assaulted a man that he found hiding in his estranged wife's closet. According to police, it was alleged that Rice went to the home of his estranged wife Christina and beat Alberto Perez after finding him in the closet. After the beating, Perez had a cut on his forehead that required nine stitches. Rice surrendered to police and was released after posting $5,000 bond. Charges were later dropped.
NBA transactions[]
- Selected by Miami Heat in 1st round (4th overall) of 1989.
- Traded by Miami with Matt Geiger, Khalid Reeves and 1996 1st-round pick to Charlotte Hornets for LeRon Ellis, Alonzo Mourning and Pete Myers on November 3, 1995.
- Traded by Charlotte with B.J. Armstrong and J.R. Reid to Los Angeles Lakers for Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones (basketball) on March 10, that season.
- Traded by Lakers with Travis Knight and conditional 2001 1st-round pick to New York Knicks as part of four-team deal on September 20, 2000 NBA Championship (Lakers received Emanual Davis, Greg Foster (basketball), Horace Grant and Chuck Person from Seattle SuperSonics; New York also received Luc Longley and two 2nd-round picks from Phoenix Suns and Lazaro Borrell, Vernon Maxwell, Vladimir Stepania and conditional 2001 1st-round pick from Seattle; Phoenix received Chris Dudley, conditional 2001 1st-round pick and cash from New York; Seattle received Patrick Ewing from New York).
- Traded by New York to Houston Rockets as part of three-team deal on August 17 2001 (Dallas Mavericks received Muggsy Bogues from New York; Houston also received draft rights to Kyle Hill and future considerations from Dallas; New York received Shandon Anderson from Houston and Howard Eisley from Dallas).
- Traded by Houston with draft considerations and cash to Utah Jazz for John Amaechi and future 2nd-round pick on September 30 2003.
- Waived by Utah on October 3, 2003.
- Signed as free agent by Los Angeles Clippers on October 10, 2003.
- Waived by Clippers on January 13 2004.
Awards[]
- NBA Champion (2000)
- NBA All-Star MVP Award: 1997
- NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament Outstanding Player: 1989
- 3 time All-Star
- 2 times All-NBA — 1997 second team, 1998 third team
- All Rookie NBA — 1990
- Retired Jerseys: #41 University of Michigan
Statistical milestones[]
- NBA leader in three-point field goal percentage: 1997
- NBA leader in minutes played: 1997
- NBA leader in games played: 1995, 1998
- 4th all time in three pointers made
Team honors[]
- NCAA National Championship - University of Michigan: 1989
- NBA championships - Los Angeles Lakers: that season