Isaiah Rider Jr., nicknamed J.R. (born March 12, 1971), is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played 9 seasons in the NBA. Rider was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, and was raised in nearby

Alameda An alameda is a Avenue (landscape), street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada *Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan **Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile ...

. He starred in both baseball and basketball at

Encinal High School Encinal High School is a co-educational public high school serving grades 6-12. It is located in Alameda, California, United States, and is part of the Alameda Unified School District. Threatened closure The school was one of several in the Ala ...

before going on to a college career with the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...

(

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

), and a professional career in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

Early life and college career

The 6'5" (1.96 m) Rider was a prep star at

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

(just outside

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

) and was one of the top rated players in the state. Rider attended two

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

Allen County Community College Allen County College is a public community college with two campuses in Kansas, a main campus in Iola and another campus in Burlingame. Allen offers both online and in-person courses for incoming students. Allen is also approved through the Ka ...

Iola, Kansas Iola () is the county seat of Allen County, Kansas, United States. The city is situated along the Neosho River in southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,396. It is named in honor of Iola Colborn. History ...

, where he averaged just over 30 points per game; and

Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College (AVC) is a public community college in Lancaster, California. It is part of the California Community College system. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of cove ...

in Lancaster, California (33 points per game), before finding a home at UNLV. During the 1991–1992 season, Rider led the Runnin' Rebels to a 26-2 record (18-0 in conference) and a number 7 ranking in the final

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regular season poll while averaging over 21 points per game, but wasn't seen on national television because UNLV was serving an NCAA-imposed punishment that stemmed from previous infractions. (In a "

plea bargain A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...

" of sorts, UNLV was allowed to defend its NCAA title the previous year – they lost to Duke in the Final Four. In exchange, the Rebels were barred from postseason play and national television for the 1991–92 season.) He finally got the nation's eyes to watch him in his senior year, where he averaged 29.1 points per game (2nd in the country behind

University of Texas-Pan American A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

Greg Guy Gregory Guy Jr. (born October 17, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player most known for being the NCAA Division I scoring champion during the 1992–93 season. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and his father Gregory Gu ...

), was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year and garnered 2nd-Team All-American honors. UNLV finished 21-8 (13-5 in

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

), lost the regular season conference title to New Mexico State and failed to make the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

's 64-team Tournament field. The Rebels did earn a spot in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

, but Rider was suspended for the NIT due to academic issues surrounding allegations that he had someone cheating for him on some of his college classwork. Without their star player on the court, the Runnin' Rebels were knocked out of the NIT in the 1st round 90-73 to Southern California.

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (1993–1996)

Rider was chosen with the 5th overall pick of the 1993 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rider started his NBA career strong, finishing the 1993–94 season as a member of the NBA's All-Rookie First Team. He won the 1994 NBA Slam Dunk Contest (he brashly predicted that he would win on draft day) with a dunk that he called "The East Bay Funk Dunk." Rider also became famous for a miraculous shot made in a game on December 22, 1994, against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. Losing control of the ball with it nearly going out of bounds, Rider reached out and threw the ball over his shoulder to keep it in play, and the ball went through the hoop as a three-point basket, a play that one announcer exclaimed as the "Play of the decade." While Rider averaged 19 points per game in his three years with the Timberwolves, his play slipped after his rookie season. He also began a pattern of off-court misbehavior. He was found to be insubordinate towards Timberwolves management, and was involved in an incident in which he kicked the female manager of a sports bar for which he ultimately was convicted of fifth-degree assault.Las Vegas Rj:Sports: Rider On A Storm
/ref> By 1996, Minnesota finally lost patience with Rider and dealt him to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

in return for

Bill Curley William Michael Curley (born May 29, 1972) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Emerson Lions men's basketball team. Curley has two brothers and one sister, with both brothers, Matty and Mic ...

, James Robinson and a conditional first round draft pick in 1997 or 1998. Just before the trade Rider was arrested for

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

possession. At the time of his arrest he also had an illegal cell phone; it had been altered to charge calls to someone else's bill. He was later convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession, and pleaded

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

to possessing the illegal cell phone. Three weeks later, he was arrested for gambling in public back in Oakland.

Portland Trail Blazers (1996–1999)

In the 1997–98 season, Rider led the Blazers in scoring (19.7 points per game, 15th in the NBA) and three-pointers made (135, 8th) and attempted (420). Rider tallied a season-high 38 points (15-25 FG), along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, against the Toronto Raptors on February 1, 1998. In the 1998–99 season, Rider averaged 13.9 points per game and led the team in scoring 13 times.

Atlanta Hawks (1999–2000)

Following the 1998–99 season, Rider was traded to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

in a trade that sent

Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to: Academics * Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager * Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...

to the Blazers. The Hawks had finished fourth in the Eastern Conference in the lockout-shortened season, and thought Rider was the final piece in the puzzle. So they sent Smith to the Blazers for Rider and Jim Jackson, another talent who had not quite reached his potential. The trade didn't sit well with Hawks fans, since Smith had been one of the most popular players on the team. Coach

Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as ...

didn't want the trade either, but tried to fit Rider into the system.Addy, Steve
J. R. MIA

Las Vegas Sun The ''Las Vegas Sun'' is one of the Las Vegas Valley's two daily Subscription business model, subscription newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper published afternoons on weekdays ...

, 2000-08-04. Rider played well enough on the court, pacing the Hawks in scoring. However, his off-court incidents exploded in Atlanta. After reports that he had smoked marijuana in an

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

hotel room, the league demanded that he attend drug counseling. He refused and was fined a total of $200,000 until he agreed to attend. He was suspended numerous times by the Hawks as well, and fined a total of $200,000 by the team. Even after Wilkens benched him in March with the Hawks long out of contention, Rider still continued to be tardy for games and practices, prompting the Hawks to threaten a three-game suspension for another incident. He showed up late for a March game in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, and rather than serve a three-game suspension, he demanded his outright release. The Hawks complied.

Los Angeles Lakers (2000–2001)

Rider played in 67 games with the Lakers during the 2000–01 season, leading their bench in scoring with a 7.6 average. He was suspended for five games in March 2001 for failing to comply with the NBA's anti-drug policy. Though left off the playoff roster in favor of Tyronn Lue, Rider was awarded a championship ring by the franchise. After the season, Rider stated that he wanted to return to the Lakers.

Denver Nuggets (2001)

Prior to the 2001–02 season, the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

signed Rider to help resuscitate their moribund offense, but Rider's stint in Denver was limited to just 10 games before he was waived on November 20, 2001. Rider refused to term it "retirement" at the time, however, insisting that he could still play if given the chance. In 563 NBA games, (424 starts), Rider averaged 16.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 31:42 of floor time per game. Rider totaled 9,405 points in his 9-year NBA career.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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, 75 , , 67 , , 35.3 , , .447 , , .351 , , .817 , , 3.3 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .3 , , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 68 , , 34.6 , , .464 , , .371 , , .838 , , 4.1 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 68 , , 33.7 , , .464 , , .385 , , .812 , , 4.0 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 66 , , 37.6 , , .423 , , .321 , , .828 , , 4.7 , , 3.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , 19.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 47 , , 41 , , 29.5 , , .412 , , .378 , , .755 , , 4.2 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

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L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

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Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

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Playoffs

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, 4 , , 4 , , 41.5 , , .418 , , .091 , , .769 , , 5.0 , , 4.3 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 19.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1999 , style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 13 , , 32.8 , , .429 , , .423 , , .887 , , 3.8 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .0 , , 16.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 21 , , 21 , , 35.9 , , .418 , , .340 , , .860 , , 3.7 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .0 , , 16.4

Off the court

During his NBA career and in subsequent years, Rider was dogged by a variety of personal problems, including accusations of drug use and assault. In 2007, he was sentenced to seven months in jail after pleading guilty to

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

possession, evading the police, and battery, though he only served about half of that time. "It was the ultimate low point of my life ..There were no visitors. No one down for me. No letters. I had fake friends. They left me for dead", Rider told

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...

. At the time of his sentencing, Rider's mother was in a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

, which weighed heavily on his mind. In 2012, Rider announced he was planning to release a documentary about his life, called ''My Testimony: Raw and Uncut''. Rider has also established a charitable organization for children called the Sky Rider Foundation. "I just want to help kids. With today's economy some parents cannot afford to send their kids to the extracurricular activities. It's very costly, there's registration fees, equipment, uniforms and shoe costs. If a kid has dreams to be somebody, I want to help", he said in an interview.

Rap career

On a 1994 album titled ''

B-Ball's Best Kept Secret ''B-Ball's Best Kept Secret'' is a compilation album released by Epic Records that featured NBA players performing songs with hip hop artists including Shaquille O'Neal. Track listing #"Hip Hop Basketball Genie"- :48 #"Check It"- 4:07 (Dana B ...

'' which featured songs performed by NBA players ranging from

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...

and

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards ...

Brian Shaw Brian Keith Shaw (born March 22, 1966) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He could play both guard positions, but wa ...

and Chris Mills, Rider (credited as J.R. on the album) provided the track "Funk in the Trunk."

References

External links

J.R. Rider's Official NBA Player File
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rider, Isaiah 1971 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players Allen Red Devils men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people convicted of assault American people convicted of drug offenses American sportspeople convicted of crimes Antelope Valley Marauders men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Oakland, California Denver Nuggets players Los Angeles Lakers players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Minnesota Timberwolves players People convicted of battery Portland Trail Blazers players Shooting guards Small forwards UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople