PBA: Fried ‘Rice’ too hot for TnT to handle

Glen Rice Jr. (photo by Peter Paul Baltazar)
Glen Rice Jr. (photo by Peter Paul Baltazar)

TnT KaTropa took a big chance on Glen Rice Jr., likely aware of his unfortunate past. The son of NBA legend Glen Rice Sr. ran into trouble in 2016 when he was arrested on battery and robbery charges according to TMZ and the Albany Herald.

For the benefit of those who missed that incident, Rice Jr. was arrested for reportedly assaulting Jordan Callahan, a former University of Tulane basketball player.

According to TMZ, Callahan was found in a pool of blood and Rice would, later on, be apprehended by authorities. Two bags were found nearby where one had 2 guns (an AK-47 assault rifle and a Taurus .38 Special) and a bunch of bullets, CBS reported. A third gun was found in the Porsche and Rice had roughly $2,700 in cash and 6 cell phones.

Prior to that, Rice also ran into trouble in October 2015. The 26-year-old was shot in the leg following an altercation at an Atlanta restaurant. He was eventually arrested for reckless conduct and illegal possession of marijuana.

Rice Jr. was never able to follow the footsteps of his father. He was selected 35th overall during the 2013 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers but was eventually traded to the Washington Wizards. He had his chances to stick with the Wizards but things just didn’t pan out. He was a prominent figure in the NBA D-League, a member of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers champion team in 2013.

Being a high-profile player, Rice Jr. was a target for physicality by most PBA teams. After starting out questionably, the Georgia Tech product seemed to have settled down with KaTropa. His run came to a thundering halt when he went at it with Ginebra rookie Kevin Ferrer.

Game 4 of that PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals was pivotal. TnT knew it had to keep its emotions in check to live another day. Unfortunately, things went awry right in the opening period with Rice Jr. incurring two technical fouls. He was banished from the playing court in what may likely be the last time Filipinos will get to see him play on local soil.

Rice Jr. expectedly got the jeers from the pro-Ginebra card. Being a pro, he flashed the dirty finger and reacted in such an unprofessional way. The PBA fined him PHP 26,000 (roughly $520).

It was a high-risk move for KaTropa who had to make several import changes. They started out with Michael Craig who played for just three games. His availability was undoubtedly hard to resist though the gamble failed to pay off. It was a great way to bury his past. Unfortunately for TnT, Rice Jr. didn’t seem interested in rebuilding his stock.