50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 30. Glen Rice
Coming off their expansion season, the Miami Heat were looking for talent anywhere and everywhere and opted to take Michigan’s Glen Rice with the fourth overall pick.
It was a good choice.
Rice was an All-Rookie selection who was second in the NBA in 3-pointers in 1991-92 and fourth in 1992-93.
He was sent to the Charlotte Hornets along with Matt Geiger, Khalid Reeves and a first-round pick in 1996 as part of a blockbuster trade in November 1995 in exchange for Alonzo Mourning, LeRon Ellis and Pete Myers.
In six seasons in Miami, Rice averaged 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 35.7 minutes per game, shooting .459/.386/.835.
Rice’s career erupted in Charlotte, as he was a three-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection and the MVP of the 1997 All-Star Game, the same 1996-97 season in which he finished fifth in the MVP voting.
Rice led the NBA in minutes played with 3,362 and 3-point shooting at .470 in 1996-97 and was second in 1997-98 and also finished third in 3-pointers, total points and scoring in 1996-97. He was fifth in points scored in 1997-98. Rice was second in minutes per game in 1996-97 and fourth in 1997-98.
In March 1999, Rice—coming back from elbow surgery having not played a game—was traded with B.J. Armstrong and J.R. Reid to the Los Angeles Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell.
In his three seasons with the Hornets, Rice averaged 23.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a steal in 40.8 minutes per game, shooting .469/.444/.853.
Limited to 27 games in the shortened 1998-99 season, Rice averaged 17.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 36.5 minutes a game for the Lakers, shooting .432/.393/.856.
Rice won a championship with the Lakers in 2000 and then was part of a four-team trade in September 2000, sent with Travis Knight and a first-round pick in 2001 to the New York Knicks, with the Lakers getting Emanual Davis, Greg Foster, Horace Grant and Chuck Person from the Seattle SuperSonics.
After just one season in New York, Rice was on the move again in August 2001 as part of a three-team trade, going to the Houston Rockets. The Knicks got Howard Eisley from the Dallas Mavericks and Shandon Anderson from the Rockets and sent Muggsy Bogues to Dallas.
In September 2003, Rice was traded with second-round picks in 2004, 2005 and 2006 to the Utah Jazz for John Amaechi and a second-round pick in 2004, with the Jazz buying out Rice’s contract four days later.
In October 2003, Rice signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, who waived him in January 2004. Rice opted to retire because of knee problems.
In the decade of the 1990s, Rice was eighth with 15,371 points, second with 1,269 3-pointers, 16th with an average of 20.6 points per game and 11th with a .408 3-point percentage.
He is 19th in NBA history with 1,559 3-pointers and 34th with a .400 percent mark from 3-point range.