Glen Rice: 30 Years of Heat

4. Glen Rice

Glen Rice was a 6'7" small forward from Flint, MI. Born on May 28th, 1967, he played prep level ball in his hometown, at Flint Northwestern High. He joined the Michigan Wolverines in college, playing for four full seasons. As a senior, he made the NCAA AP All-American second team, scoring 25.6 points with 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and leading the team to the 1989 NCAA Division One Championship. Miami chose him in the first round of the draft, with the fourth overall pick.

As a rookie, Rice started in 60 of 77 games, scoring 13.6 points (team third) on 43.9% field goal shooting. He also hit 24.6% of his long distance attempts, his lowest rate until his final NBA season. He also grabbed 4.6 rebounds (team fifth) with 1.8 helpers per game. He finished in double figures 57 times through the season. On December 16th, he earned his first career double double, scoring 21 points with 13 rebounds and three steals in a 99-96 Heat win against the Milwaukee Buckcs. He scored 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting on January 5th as the Heat dropped one to the Seattle SuperSonics, 140-110. 10 days later, in a 111-105 win over the Washington Bullets, he scored 27 points with seven rebounds and five assists. Miami went 18-64 overall, and 17-60 with Rice in the game. He was selected to the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team.

In 1990-91, Rice started in all 77 of his appearances, scoring 17.4 points (team second) per game on 46.1% shooting and a three-point percentage of 38.6% (NBA ninth), a 60% improvement from the prior season. He grabbed 4.9 rebounds (team third) with 2.5 assists (team fourth) and 1.3 steals (team fourth) per game. He scored 10 or more points 67 times, and led the Heat to a 24-53 record (they went 0-5 without him). In a 120-105 win over the Indiana Pacers on November 10th, he shot 10-for-15 with 11 rebounds, finishing the game with 23 points. On Groundhog's Day, in a 108-98 loss to the Orlando Magic, he connected on 14-of-22 shots, scoring a then career high 37 points with four rebounds. In a 103-96 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on February 22nd, he led the Heat with 22 points and eight rebounds. He notched three double doubles on the season.

1991-92 would see Rice continue his growth as a player. He averaged a team leading 22.3 points, five rebounds (team third), 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals (team third) in 38.1 minutes per game. He started 79 times, shot 46.9% from inside and 39.1% from deep. The team went 38-44 to earn their first ever playoff berth, an eighth seed appearance against the Chicago Bulls. Rice reached double figures 72 times with five double doubles. On January 10th, as the Houston Rockets defeated the Heat 111-107 in overtime, he scored 16 points with a season and team high 14 rebounds. In a 105-98 Heat win over the Denver Nuggets on February 26th, he scored 38 points on 13-of-23 shooting, including a three-for-five night from three-point range and nine rebounds. He topped himself on April 11th, going 19-for-32 from the field for 46 points, nine rebounds and three steals as the Heat beat the Magic 105-101. Rice didn't play his best in the playoffs, shooting 37.5% and finishing the three games (all losses) with 57 points and 10 rebounds.

Rice started every game at small forward for the Heat in 1992-93, playing 37.6 minutes per game. He shot 44% overall and 38.3% from outside, averaging a team best 19 points, 5.2 rebounds (team fourth), 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals (team third) per game. He had six double doubles and finished in double figures 68 times as Miami missed the playoffs at 36-46. In a three-overtime, 129-128 loss to the 76ers on November 20th, he scored 35 points with five assists and four boards in 59 minutes. Five days later, in a 110-93 win over the Pacers, he finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds. On February 3rd, he scored over a point per minute, finishing with 45 points on 17-of-22 shooting, with 14 rebounds in a win against the Atlanta Hawks, 116-96.

In 1993-94, Rice started 81 times, scoring 21.1 points on 46.7% shooting. He shot 38.2% from deep, averaging a team best 21.1 points, a career best 5.4 rebounds (team third), 2.3 assists (team fifth), and a team leading 1.4 steals in 37 minutes per game. On November 26th, in a win against the Boston Celtics, 101-93, he scored 38 points with 16 boards, five steals, and three helpers. He finished with 40 (including four three-pointers) on December 9th, along with six rebounds, six steals, and five assists as the Heat dropped an overtime decision to the Rockets, 115-109. On April 19th, he helped the Heat clinch their first ever non-losing record against the Minnesota TimberWolves, scoring 32 points on 13-for-20 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and three blocks in a 126-99 win. The Heat finished 42-40. In the first round, five game series loss to the Hawks, Rice scored 13 points with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals per contest.

1994-95 would see Rice score a team best 22.3 points per game (NBA 10th), starting every game at small forward. He played 36.8 minutes per night, shooting 47.5% overall and 41% from three-point range. He also pitched in with 4.6 boards (team fifth), 2.3 helpers (team fifth), and 1.4 steals (team second) per game. He scored 10 or more points 77 times (along with 18 performances with 30 or more), as the Heat finished at 32-50. On December 23rd, in a 116-93 win against the Charlotte Hornets, he shot 14-for-24, scoring 37 points with five assists. He dropped 45 points on the Los Angeles Clippers on March 17th in a 120-98, shooting 17-for-26 with seven assists and four rebounds. On April 15th, he scored a career and NBA season-high 56 points on 20-of-27 shooting, leading the Heat to a 123-117 win over the Magic.

Just before the start of the 1995-96 season, the Heat traded Rice with Matt Geiger, Khalid Reeves, and a draft pick (Tony Delk) to the Hornets for LeRon Ellis, Alonzo Mourning, and Pete Myers. He made the all-star team in each of his three seasons with the Hornets (240 games), later playing with the Los Angeles Lakers (107 games), the New York Knicks (75 games), the Rockets (82 games), and the Clippers (18 games). He is currently involved in MMA fight promotion, heading G-Force Fights in Miami.

Stat Line: 478 games, 35.7 minutes, .459 field goals, .386 three-pointers, .835 free throws, 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 16.2 PER, 40.2 Win Shares.

Cumulative GameScore: 6191.2