Glen Rice

At 57 years old, Glen Rice has this physical status:

Glen Anthony Rice Sr. (born May 28, 1967) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

A 6'8" guard/forward, Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star, and made 1,559 three-point field goals during his 15-year career.

Rice won both an NCAA championship and NBA championship during his collegiate and professional career.

In recent years, Rice has taken up MMA fight promotion as owner of G-Force Fights based in Miami, Florida.

Personal life

Rice admits to an alleged affair with Sarah Palin that is claimed to have taken place in 1987.

Rice's son, Glen Rice Jr. (born January 1, 1991), was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 35th overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft.

Rice also has five other children; G'mitri Rice (born April 22, 1992) Brianna Rice (born February 26, 1999) Giancarlo Rice (born August 28, 2001) Giovanni Rice (born February 5, 2004) and Bella Rice (born July 28, 2010).

On April 28, 2016, Rice married his longtime girlfriend and youngest daughter's mother, Tia Santoro, at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami.

Source

College career

Rice played college basketball for the University of Michigan Wolverines for four seasons (1985-1989), being a starter for three of those seasons. With 2,442 points, he became the school's all-time best scorer. He led Michigan to the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, scoring an NCAA-record 184 points in tournament play, which is a record that now stands. Rice was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and was a member of the Associated Press All-America second team, scoring 58% from the floor and 52% from three-point range, and was voted the highest player in the tournament after averaging 25.6 points per season. Rice was accepted to play for the 1988 United States Olympic basketball team in Rice's junior year, but he was turned down before reaching the team of 48. Rice's No. 1 on February 20, 2005, Rice's No. 2 on February 20, 2005. At a dinner at Crisler Arena in Michigan, the 41 jersey was retired. Rice appeared on Sports Illustrated's cover on April 10, 1989.

Rice continues to place as one of Michigan's all-time leaders in several statistical categories, including: "includes: Rice continues to place in the top tenths of Michigan's all-time leaders in several academic areas, including: : Rice continues to rank among Michigan's all-time leaders in various academic categories, such as: :

NBA career

Rice made his rookie season as a top-round pick in the NCAA Tournament, but his stock soared as a result of his record-breaking success in the NCAA Tournament, and the Miami Heat selected him #8 overall in the 1989 NBA draft.

Since finishing last in the NBA in points per game in 1988-89, the Heat was an expansion team in the NBA, and they were in need of some offensive assistance in their second year. Rice will be called upon to provide some of the scoring duties despite being a rookie, as well as Sherman Douglas and Rony Seikaly. Rice averaged 13.6 points per game during his rookie season, just behind Douglas and Seikaly, but the lottery-bound Heat only won 18 games. Rice saw modest improvement for the team in the first year from 18 wins to 24 wins, but he played in every game and increased his scoring load to 17.4 points a game, while leading the team in three-point field goals with 71.

Rice and the Heat's 1991-92 season would be a breakthrough season for the Rice and the Heat as the team advanced to 38 victories and featured other young players such as Steve Smith and Brian Shaw. Rice had become the team's best scorer by now and averaged 22.3 points in a game with 155 three-point field goals (second in the league), guiding the Heat to their first playoff series in which the young team was swept by the defending champion Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan. Despite this, the Heat won fewer games the following year, while Rice's scoring average dropped to 19 as the scoring load of Seikaly and Smith increased.

Rice averaged 21.1 points per game during the 1993–94 season, leading to the Heat's first-ever playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Heat were unable to win the first-round tournament in which the Hawks defeated the Hawks by 3 games to 2.

Rice averaged 22.3 points per game in the 1994–95 season (10th in the league) and made 185 three-point shots (6th in the league). Rice took part in the NBA All-Star Shootout in Phoenix in 1995 and defeated him out of another sharpshooter, Reggie Miller, despite not being selected to play in the annual NBA All-Star Game. In a nationally televised game against Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic, he scored a career-high 56 points on 20 of 27 shots from the floor, including 7 three-pointers later this season. The 56 points, which were a record high for the 1994–95 season, were a record-tyinggal. Despite his popularity, the Heat was unable to make the playoffs.

Pat Riley, a newly hired coach, arranged a trade with Rice in exchange for dissatisfied Hornets center Alonzo Mourning, who had agreed no labor talks as a result of any contract discussions weeks before the 1995–96 season.

Rice was paired with high scoring forward Larry Johnson, and the Hornets won by a score of 41 points. Rice led his team in scoring with 21.6 points per game (171) and a three-point shooting percentage (42%). He was also selected to play in the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, but the Hornets were unable to make the playoffs.

Rice will be named as a top player in the league during the 1996-97 season. In addition, the Hornets had signed veteran players Vlade Divac and Anthony Mason, who no longer featured Johnson, as well as recruiting new head coach and NBA legend Dave Cowens. Rice averaged 26.8 points per game during the season, placing him third in the league in scoring while leading the league in three-point shooting (47%) and minutes played. His performance earned him his second straight All-Star Game nomination, and he finished with 26 points in the third quarter and 24 points in the second half. His 8–11 shooting record, as well as a 4–5 three-pointer shooting and his 20 points in the third quarter tied for third quarter guard Hal Greer's record (1968), which was first set in 1968. Rice surpassed the previous record of 23, which was owned by Wilt Chamberlain and Tom Chambers by scoring 24 in a half. Rice's appearance on the NBA's 57 Memorable All-Star Moments list. His contribution helped the Eastern Conference win the game and earned him the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. The Hornets won 54 games and advanced to the 1997 Playoffs, where they were defeated 3–0 by the New York Knicks in the first round.

In the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, Rice would average 22.3 points per game (sixth in the league) during the 1997–98 season, finishing second in the league in minutes played and scoring 16 points. The Hornets have played 52 games in a row, and they've won a playoff series by defeating the Atlanta Hawks before losing to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the second round. The 1998–99 season would begin late and last only 50 games due to a league lockout, and the Hornets traded Rice to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 10, 1999.

Rice was also traded in 1999 for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, a fan favorite. The trade didn't immediately resonate with Laker fans, but Rice was considered the final piece of the puzzle for the Lakers to return to the NBA Finals. Rice was leaving a Hornets team in squabble, with several players requesting trades as a result of a 4-month lockout. Coach Cowens had resigned, Anthony Mason was out for the year, Rice was returning from an elbow injury that required surgery for, and the owner was in legal trouble. Rice was named the third scorer behind Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, a pair that general manager and Laker legend Jerry West hoped would bring Los Angeles another NBA championship. In the 1999 Playoffs, the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs, but Rice averaged 18 points per game.

Before the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers fired Phil Jackson, who had won six NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls teams that featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. In addition, the Lakers acquired veterans such as Ron Harper, A.C. Green, Rice's former Miami teammates John Salley and Brian Shaw, as well as Rice's former Miami teammates John Salley and Brian Shaw. The Lakers won 67 games for first place in the Western Conference, led by the play of O'Neal, who won the MVP award for the season, and Bryant's all-star play. Rice's third option, with 84 three-point shots to lead the Lakers, started in 80 games and averaged 15.9 points.

Rice averaged 12.4 points per game in the 2000 Playoffs, shooting 44% from beyond the three-point arc, a career-best for the playoffs. In the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns, and the Portland Trail Blazers. Bryant sustained an ankle injury in the second game of the Finals, while Rice added 21 points to help the Lakers take the lead in the series. Rice will score 11.5 points in a game for the series, with three shots from three-point range in Game 6 as the Lakers defeated the Pacers 4 games to 2 to give Rice his first and only NBA championship.

Although the Lakers had won the championship, a lot of drama had unfolded behind Rice, head coach Phil Jackson, and GM Jerry West's scenes from the time they were swept by the Spurs and the eventual championship. Rice had been angry when the Lakers exercised a $7-million plan for 1999-2000 rather than allowing him to be a free agent. Rice's close friend, Shaquille O'Neal, believed Rice was the pure shooter he needed to keep teams from double-teaming him in the playoffs, and he was partially responsible for Rice's transfer to the Lakers (and losing Eddie Jones to do it). Rice was not able to win the hearts of Los Angeles fans after being traded for fan-favorite Eddie Jones, according to several, who cite suspect defense and Rice's inability to play in the triangle offense. As a result, the disgruntled Rice was traded to the New York Knicks later this year.

Rice will play a sixth-man role on the team and provide the Knicks with the team with much-needed assistance off the bench in New York. He appeared in 72 games in the 2000-2001 season, averaging 12 points-per-game. Rice got off to a 25-year career, averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in those games, leading the Knicks in scoring 9 times. Although Rice's defense is often cited as the reason for his departure, he ranks 145th among all-time NBA players in career steals (958). He was with the Knicks for just one year because he was plagued by a foot injury (plantar fasciitis) and was unable to find a niche in New York behind Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell. Shandon Anderson will be traded to the Houston Rockets later this season after losing in five games to the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2001 Playoffs.

Rice played for Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley in Houston, and he was excited about returning to a starting role after being pushed to more of a third-option with both the Lakers and Knicks. Rice was on the mend, recovering from his foot injury that limited him to just 20 games in the 2001–02 season, when things got going slow in Houston. He would play in 62 games, from 26 starts to average 9 points per game for a Rockets team featuring center Yao Ming in a game. Following the 2003 season, he'd be traded to the Utah Jazz for John Amaechi, but then the Los Angeles Clippers would sign him.

Rice's career came to an end due to a knee injury (partially torn tendon). He made his first season with the Clippers his 48th player in NBA history to score 18,000 points in his final season. It was against the Lakers on February 18, 2004, and it was fitting that he would retire after playing just 18 games.

Source

Awards

• NBA champion (2000)
• NBA All-Star Game MVP (1997)
• NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1989)
• NCAA champion (1989)
• 3-time All-Star
• 2-time All-NBA — 1997 second team, 1998 third team
• NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (1995)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1990)
• Retired Jerseys: #41 University of Michigan