Glen Rice believes he’d fit in better in current NBA landscape
FILE — Glen Rice of the Charlotte Hornets holds the Most Valuable Player trophy for the NBA All-Star Game 09 February at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines—Glen Rice was one of the better small forwards during the 1990s, having racked up three All-Star appearances and two All-NBA teams in his career but he feels his resume would’ve been better in today’s NBA.
“I’d fit in well right now because the physicality is a lot less of an aspect in today’s game and I can take advantage of that,” said Rice in a Zoom press conference for the NBA Republika Playoffs Thursday.
A 6-foot-7 wing who can operate from anywhere on the floor, Rice was the Charlotte Hornets’ best player from 1995 to 1998 and it was also during that three-year span that he made the league’s midseason spectacle.
Playing in the current NBA, though, could’ve seen Rice, he said, rack up more All-Star Games in his resume.
“To be able to dream of being in this situation is mouth-watering,” said Rice. “I think I’ll add three or four more All-Star Games in my resume.”
Somewhat of a revolutionary during his time, Rice made at least 40 percent of his three-point attempts from 1994 to 1998 and even had a mark of 47 percent in the 1996-97 season when he was the league’s third-best scorer.
Rice averaged 26.8 points-per-game in his second season with the Hornets behind Hall of Famers Michael Jordan (29.6 ppg) and Karl Malone (27.4).
With three-point shots more of a specialty back in the 1990s, Rice made it a crucial point of his offense attempting more than five shots from beyond the arc from 1994 to 1997.
Though he attempted just 3.7 three-point shots in the 1997-98 season, he was back to chucking an average of five the following year when he played as the Los Angeles Lakers’ third option behind Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Rice said that he’d shoot more than 10 three-point attempts in the current landscape especially with the league’s infatuation with long distance shot.
“When you mentioned shooting, I’d love to go out there and shoot 10 to 15 threes and I’d make a lot of them,” said Rice.
