Throwback Saturday: Glen Rice

Glen Rice played for the Miami Heat from 1989-95

In our first edition of "Throwback Saturday" we take a look at a former professional athlete that played a significant role in Miami sports. As a six-year member of the Miami Heat, Glen Rice played a pivotal role in Miami Heat history, emerging as arguably the best scorer in franchise history (until Dwyane Wade came into the picture, of course). In order to appreciate his presence as a memorable athlete in South Florida sports, we will give brief background of his career and highlight some of his accomplishments as a member of the Heat.

G-Money, as local sports commentators liked to call him, was the premier prolific scorer on the Heat squad during the early to mid-1990's. Over his six-year tenure in Miami he averaged 19.3 points per game, and in two of those six seasons he recorded 22.3 points per game. Rice was especially known for his long-range shooting as he knew how to drop buckets from behind the 3-point line. He progressively got better at his 3-pt % as the seasons went by - tallying up a 3-pt % of 41 and setting his place as the 3rd best 3-pt shooter in NBA history. Need I say anymore about his ability to get the ball in the hoop?

Well, I'll tell you what he got in return as the fruits of his labor. He was on the 2nd Team All-Rookie class right off the bat, proving that he was ready to make a splash on the NBA. During his six seasons in South Beach, G-Money racked up enough points to secure the leading scorer in Miami Heat history, until it was recently broken by Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade. After leaving the Heat at the finish of the 1994-95 season , Rice went on to make three straight All-Star game appearances and claimed the MVP of the 1997 All-Star game.

After taking in all this hard data, it's hard to deny that Glenny Boy was key player in Heat history as well as in the greater South Florida sports community. His presence back then is equal to to that of Dwyane Wade's presence is today. Rice was a quick-strike, bucket-scoring, fan favorite that brought crowds to the former day Miami Arena. After all, it was Rice's great performance that ultimately led to the trade between Miami and Charlotte, bringing Alonzo Mourining to the heart of Miami. After that, all else is history. Had it not been for G-Money we may not have ever felt the power of Zo in Miami. Miami thanks Glen for the great moments he brought and the lasting memories he left. To number 41 - Glen Rice.

In order to sum up Glen Rice's career as a Heat swingman we've attached a video that depicts G-Money's unbelievable scoring showcase versus the Orlando Magic back in 1995.