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Glen Rice was one of the best long-range shooters of his era, pouring in 1,559 threes during his 15-year career while leading the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets offensively in the prime of his career. Later, he would win an NBA title as a role player on the Los Angeles Lakers.
In all, there are more than 1,900 Glen Rice cards, according to the Beckett database.
So where does one begin to put together a computer Glen Rice?
The following 10 cards serve as a great representation of his playing career and footprint on the hobby, making them a great place to start.
1990-91 Hoops #168 Glen Rice RC
One of the most prolific scorers in college basketball history, Glen Rice averaged 25.6 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc during his senior season at Michigan to lead the Wolverines to a national championship.
The Miami Heat made him the number 4 overall pick in the 1989 draft, and he has three Rookie Cards at the peak of mass production in the 1990-91 Fleer, Hopps and SkyBox sets. All three can be had for just a few dollars.
1992-93 Topps Archives #127 Glen Rice
Since Topps did not release basketball cards from 1981 through 1991, the 1992-93 Topps Archives set served as a look at what could have been, with throwback cards that mirrored the baseball card designs of those years.
It’s not a Rookie Card, but the Glen Rice card in the set shows what his 1989 Topps rookie might have looked like. It’s a nice inexpensive addition to his computer.
1995-96 E-XL #9 Glen Rice
After six years with the Heat, including 22.3 points per game on 41.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc during the 1994-95 season, Rice was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in a seven-player trade that sent Alonzo Mourning the other way.
The SkyBox E-XL set is one of the underrated premium products of the mid-90s, and it is one of a few sets that featured Rice in his new Hornets uniform for the 1995-96 edition.
1996-97 Hoops Head to Head #HH1 Larry Johnson/Glen Rice
While the Hornets traded away one of their superstars in Alonzo Mourning to get Rice, they still had another to run alongside him in Larry Johnson. The duo spent just one season as teammates, and while Rice (21.6 PPG) and Johnson (20.5 PPG) both had strong seasons, Charlotte went just 41-41 and missed the playoffs.
Johnson was traded to the New York Knicks for Anthony Mason before the 1996–97 season, but the Rice-Johnson duo continued to be featured on a handful of insert cards as a 1996–97 Hoops Head to Head set.
1996-97 Ultra Scoring Kings #3 Glen Rice
Rice became the focal point of the Hornets offense after Johnson was traded to the Knicks. He averaged a career-high 26.8 points per game during the 1996-97 season, a total that trailed only Michael Jordan (29.6) and Karl Malone (27.4) in the scoring title race.
It is only fitting that the greatest offensive outburst of his career is honored by his inclusion in the Ultra Scoring Kings inset.
1997-98 Upper Deck #13 Glen Rice
In his third and final season with the Hornets, Rice starred again with 22.3 points per game on a 51-win team. That earned him his third straight All-Star Game selection, and he took home MVP honors at the midseason exhibition, pouring in 26 points on 10-of-24 shooting and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
His All-Star MVP win was honored on his 1997-98 Upper Deck base card.
1998-99 Topps Chrome #235 Glen Rice MO
The Los Angeles Lakers added Rice to a stacked roster before the 1998-99 season in a deal that sent All-Star Eddie Jones and veteran center Elden Campbell the other way. He served as a third scoring option behind Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, averaging 16.3 points per game in two seasons with the team, and he won an NBA title during the 1999-00 season.
Topps Chrome is as good a product as any to highlight his move to his third team, and his team was updated after he was pictured as a member of the Hornets for the main edition.
2000-01 The Best of Bowman #5 Glen Rice
Before the 2000–01 season, Rice was traded to the New York Knicks in a massive four-team, 12-player, five-pick deal. He spent one season in New York, averaging 12.0 points while serving mostly as a sixth man off the bench. The deal reunited him with former teammate Larry Johnson.
The business was done early enough that most of the 2000-01 cards depict him as a member of the Knicks.
2001-02 Topps Heritage #110 Glen Rice
After a year in New York, Rice was on the move again, joining the Houston Rockets before his age-34 season in a three-team, five-player trade. He averaged 8.9 points and shot 37.4 percent from beyond the arc in two seasons in Houston, serving as a veteran presence on a young roster that included Yao Ming, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley.
There are only a handful of 2001-02 products that managed to put him on his watch in a Rockets uniform, and the Topps Heritage set with its retro design is a great option to highlight his time in Houston.
2003-04 Bazooka #136 Glen Rice
Rice played the final season of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2003–04 campaign, appearing in 18 games and averaging 3.7 points in 14.6 minutes of action before he was waived in January.
He ranks among the NBA’s all-time leaders in points (18,336, 75th), three-pointers made (1,559, 35th) and minutes played (34,985, 75th), and it’s only fitting to close his computer with a card of his final Stop of the NBA.
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