Glen Rice Bio: NBA, Wife, & More [2023 Update]

If one were to name a potent outside shooter in the 90s who was impossible to defend, one would slip the name “Glen Rice.” He was of great help to the Los Angeles Lakers in winning the 2000 NBA Championship title. 

Rice is a former professional basketball player with a whopping net worth of $25 million as of 2023. He served as a small forward for many prominent teams in the National Basketball Association league. 

Besides that, the athlete led the expansion team, Heats, to their first playoff series in only the team’s fourth year in the league. However, the Michael Jordan-guarded Bulls’ knocked out the newly formed team in the first round. 

Glen was an equally great athlete in college when he assisted the Michigan Wolverines to the 1989 NCAA championship. In 2005, the Wolverines retired his jersey no. 41 to honor him and his contributions to the organization.

Before getting into details about the former NBA player’s life and career, here are some quick facts about him. 

Quick Facts

Age, Height, & Weight

The former NBA player is 56 years old as of 2023. Further, he is 6 ft 8 in tall and weighs about 228 lb (i.e., 103 kg). 

The father of six is reasonably fit for his age as he takes great care of his health and diet.

Early Life, Family, & Education 

Glen Rice was born in Jacksonville, Arkansas, the United States to his mother Ernestine Rice. The details regarding his father’s name and whereabouts are not yet public. 

Besides that, the former basketballer has an older brother named Daron Rice, a younger brother named Kevin Rice, and a little sister named Veronica M Rice.

Daron played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, while Kevin used to play basketball alongside Glen. Furthermore, their sister, Veronica, is an actress, model, and also the CEO/Founder of Suga Mama Productions. 

Glen’s older brother pushed him to try out on his high school’s basketball team as a sophomore. Daron was able to spot his brother’s talent way before anybody else could recognize it. 

However, growing up, Glen was a shy and quiet kid who usually underestimated his abilities a lot. Moreover, he was quite thin back then and had not played any sport since breaking his leg in the sixth grade. 

Rice was quite intimidated by basketball and the amount of physical strength it took to play the sport.

The oldest Rice had to take matters into his own hands and bullied his brother into playing basketball. So, Daron constantly “manhandled” his younger brother and called him names. 

Upon hearing his brother make such remarks, the NBA Champion would get all riled up and give his best to prove Daron wrong.

Glen’s Talent

Even without his brother’s unusual technique to motivate him, Glen was easily the most phenomenal player on his high school basketball team. His high school coach, Grover Kirkland, spotted his talent and skills a mile away. 

When Rice proposed to play junior varsity to coach Kirkland, he immediately struck down the idea and told him he’d play varsity.

Thus, the basketballer proved to be a great asset to the Flint Northwestern high school’s basketball team. Thereafter, he moved on to the University of Michigan, where he played for the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team. 

Basketball Career

Rice had an exceptional career at Michigan as he led his team to an NCAA championship. He even received the 1989 Big Ten Player of the Year. 

Moreover, he was also named to the Consensus second-team All-American. The Wolverine retired his jersey no. 41 after he retired from the NBA. 

After a successful college career, he entered the 1989 NBA Draft, where the Miami Heat drafted him in the first round as the 4th pick overall. 

Despite not making it to the 1995 All-Star game, he participated in the NBA All-Star Long Distance Shootout and won. Furthermore, he scored a career-high 56 points, which was an NBA season high in 1995. 

For the next season, he was traded off to the Hornets, where he worked alongside legendary coach Pat Riley. He earned his first and last three NBA All-Star selections while playing with the Charlotte team. 

In 1997, he was the NBA All-Star Game MVP and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. The following year, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. 

After the Hornets, he moved on to the Lakers, where he earned his first and only NBA Championship ring in 2000 with teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. From there, he went on to play for Knicks and Rockets before eventually retiring with the Clippers. 

Glen Rice | Marriage, Wife, and Kids

The former NBA player is married to his longtime girlfriend and the mother of his youngest child, Tia Santoro. Nevertheless, this marriage isn’t his first rodeo. 

The athlete was married twice before he tied the knot with Santoro. During his early playing days, he was married to Tracey Starwood. 

She is the mother of his two kids, Glen Rice Jr., who was born in 1991, and G’mitri Rice, who was born in 1992.

Glen Jr. is a professional basketball player who was drafted into the NBA as the 35th pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013. However, he was traded to the Washington Wizards on draft night. 

Like his older brother, G’mitri Rice is also a former professional basketballer who played in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional. He currently works as a basketball and fitness trainer at GForceAthletics. 

Older Kid and Arrest Charges

In 2015, Rice Jr. was shot in the leg after he got into an argument at a restaurant in Atlanta that was owned by rapper T.I. The authorities found him in possession of 240.4 grams of marijuana. 

As a result, he was charged with reckless conduct and possession. In 2016, he was again arrested and charged with battery after he assaulted and robbed a former college basketball player.

Second Wife and Assault Charges

For his second marriage, the 2000 NBA champion married Cristy Rice. She is a real estate agent, swimsuit designer, and an American reality television star who starred in the Bravo T.V. series, The Real Housewives of Miami. 

Cristy shares three kids with her former husband, namely Brianna Rice, Giancarlo Rice, and Giovanni Rice.

In 2008, the police arrested the former NBA player and reportedly charged him with battery after he attacked a man who was hiding in Cristy’s closet. The two were already separated at the time.

Shortly after, Glen posted a $5000 bond for his release. The authorities eventually dropped the charges against him. 

Although the two are divorced, they maintain a very friendly relationship with each other. Moreover, Cristy shares an amazing relationship with Glen’s now-wife, Tia Santoro.

Not to mention, the two even went to Italy on vacation together with all of their kids. 

Current Wife and Paternity Test

Glen is currently married to Tia Santoro, and the pair officially tied the knot in 2016. They have a beautiful daughter named Bella Rice, born in 2010. 

Besides that, Santoro has a daughter named Bri Marlie from a previous relationship who recently graduated high school. 

The athlete credits her as his bonus daughter and considers himself immensely lucky to be a part of her life. In her birthday post, he thanked Marlie for letting him be a dad to her.

However, things weren’t always so smooth sailing for the couple. In 2011, they broke up, and Tia had cops escort her inside Glen’s house to collect her stuff after the basketballer refused to let her inside. 

At that time, the two had been living together for a year, and their daughter Bella was eight months old. Shortly after Tia moved out, the NBA player demanded a paternity test to determine whether his youngest daughter was his or not. 

After the test proved Bella was, in fact, his, he signed off on child support for her. However, Glen and Tia sorted out their issues later that year and were back together again. 

Everything is great now, and there’s no trouble in paradise.

Glen Rice | Net Worth, Earnings, and Salary

The NBA champion has an estimated net worth of $25 million. The star made $66,723,900 in the entirety of his basketball career, which would be $119,208,302 today, considering the U.S. dollar inflation.

Besides that, Rice does earn from lucrative endorsement deals. According to his Twitter profile, he works as a Miami Heat ambassador and scout. 

Social Media Presence

The former basketballer is quite active on Instagram with over 16k followers and Twitter with over 7k followers. 

Popularity Graph 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Glen Rice in the Hall of Fame?

The former basketballer is not inducted into the NBA hall of fame. However, he was inducted into the U of M Athletic Hall of Honor in 2005 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Is Glen Rice a good shooter?

Glen Rice was an outstanding shooter. In fact, he is one of the greatest 3-Point shooters of all time. There was rarely any player who matched him during his playing days.

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