Isaiah “J.R.” Rider says UNLV’s ‘Hey Reb!’ statue — with ties to the Confederacy — had to be removed … telling TMZ Sports he’s proud his alma mater “did the right thing.” Rider was an absolute beast at University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the early ’90s… and was named an All-American in 1993. J.R. was the 5th overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Tag: Isaiah Rider
“When I first get to the Lakers, Shaq …
“When I first get to the Lakers, Shaq tells me ‘If you and Kobe get into it, it’s 10 G’s in the locker,” Rider said on the “All the Smoke” podcast. “This is three days into practice… I’m like ‘Man, come on, you playing, man.’ [He said] ‘There’s 10 G’s in one dollar bills, man. If you ever get into it and you handle your business, grab that.’” Luckily, nothing ever materialized of Shaq’s rather generous offer and the Lakers would go on to win their second of three straight championships. While Shaq and Kobe were able to repair their fractured relationship prior to Bryant’s untimely passing in January 2020, Rider’s story shows just how toxic things had gotten between the duo. “I couldn’t believe it,” Rider added.
When Isaiah Rider joined the Lakers in …
When Isaiah Rider joined the Lakers in 2001, O’Neal told Rider he had $10,000 in cash, and he would give it to him if he fought Bryant during one of the team practices. The proposal came just three days into Rider’s tenure as a Lakers player. Here’s Rider’s telling of the story:
Isaiah Rider: “When I first get to the …
Isaiah Rider: “When I first get to the Lakers, Shaq tells me, if you and Kobe get into it, it’s 10 G’s in the locker…This is three days into practice…I’m like, ‘Man, come on, you playing, man.’ ‘There’s 10 G’s in one dollar bills, if you ever get into it and you handle your business, grab that’…I couldn’t believe it, I’m like ‘Man, these boys are crazy, bro’…But this is my thing: I would’ve been off that team so fast if I laid a hand on that man.”