Glen Rice
A sweet-shooting forward whose textbook jumper and clutch performances carried teams to both an NCAA title and an NBA championship.
Born 1967 (age 59)·American basketball player·Birthday: May 28·Generation X
Biography
Glen Rice's game was pure, efficient, and deadly. At the University of Michigan, he was the centerpiece of the 'Fab Five' precursor teams, a smooth 6-foot-7 forward with a release so clean it seemed automated. His legacy there was cemented in 1989 when he led the Wolverines to the national championship, setting a tournament scoring record that stood for over a decade. Drafted by the Miami Heat, Rice became the franchise's first true star, a three-time All-Star whose scoring prowess transformed the young team. He was never the flashiest player, but his fundamental excellence—the perfect footwork, the high arc on his shot—made him a nightmare to defend. His career pinnacle came after a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, where in the 2000 season he provided essential perimeter scoring alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, earning his NBA ring. In retirement, Rice's competitive fire found a new outlet in the world of mixed martial arts promotion, a surprising but fitting second act for an athlete whose success was always built on disciplined execution.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Glen was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Glen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Glen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1989 NCAA Championship with Michigan, being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
- Won an NBA Championship as a key starter with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.
- Was selected as an NBA All-Star three times (1990, 1996, 1997).
- Set an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament scoring record (184 points in 1989) that lasted for 13 years.
Did You Know?
He won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award in 1997 after scoring a then-record 20 points in a single quarter.
His son, Glen Rice Jr., also played in the NBA.
He owns and operates G-Force Fights, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Miami.
“You have to put the work in; the shot doesn't fall unless you take it.”
