NBA.com: Isaiah Rider Bio

Isaiah Rider is one of the NBA's most dynamic players and has proven himself to be a potent scorer in his six pro seasons, three with Minnesota and three with Portland. After leading the Blazers in scoring in 1998-99, he was traded to Atlanta along with Jim Jackson for Steve Smith and Ed Gray. As a collegian, he led three different schools in scoring. He averaged 31.0 points per game as a freshman at Allen County Community College in Kansas, ranking third in the National Junior College Athletic Association. He then returned to his home state of California to attend Antelope Valley Junior College, where he averaged a school-record 33.6 points on .596 field goal shooting. Rider became Antelope's second-leading career scorer in only 24 games. Rider spent his final two seasons at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, leading the Runnin' Rebels in scoring and rebounding as a senior (29.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg). That year he was the Big West Conference Player of the Year, a Second-Team All-American, and a finalist for national Player of the Year honors. His scoring average ranked second in the country. After only two seasons, his career scoring total ranked 12th in UNLV history. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Rider with the fifth overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. After coming off the bench in the early part of his rookie season, he became a starter and took the league by storm. The 6-5, 215-pound Rider recorded three 30-point games in December and captured the slam-dunk competition at All-Star Weekend. He closed out the year averaging 24.7 points in his final seven games. The explosion ensured him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Rider's second season, 1994-95, was marred by conflicts with team management that resulted in several suspensions. On the court, he ranked 19th in the league in scoring (20.4 ppg) and tossed in a team-record 139 three-pointers. His 42-point effort on April 1 was the second-highest total in franchise history. Rider led the Timberwolves in scoring in 1995-96 at 19.6 points per game and also topped the team with 102 three-pointers. After the season, however, the Timberwolves traded him to Portland for guard James Robinson and forward Bill Curley. He was Portland's second-leading scorer at 16.1 ppg in 1996-97. He also led the team in free throw shooting and three-point field goals made. In 1997-98 he led the Blazers with 19.7 ppg, ranking 15th in the NBA. He also topped Portland with 135 three-point field goals. He led Portland in scoring again in 1998-99, this time at 13.9 ppg, the lowest mark of his pro career. He averaged a team-high 16.5 ppg in the playoffs as the Blazers reached the Western Conference Finals. On August 2, 1999, Rider was traded to Atlanta along with Jim Jackson for Steve Smith and Ed Gray.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Waived by the Atlanta Hawks on 3/17 Logged 33 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in a 100-94 win in Sacramento on 2/23 Notched 35 points in a 101-98 loss to Philadelphia on 1/15 Posted a game-high 34 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 107-99 loss to Golden State on 12/10 Tallied a season-high 38 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a 99-81 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on 12/8 Notched 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in a 112-110 win over Detroit on 12/4 Recorded 32 points and 6 assists in a 110-100 win over Sacramento on 12/2 Registered a game-high 30 points and grabbed 8 boards in a 94-84 win over Boston on 11/27 Tallied a game-high 32 points in a 113-106 victory over Miami on 11/23 Made his Hawks debut, totaling 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, in a 119-109 loss to Milwaukee on 11/4

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Led the Blazers with 13.9 ppg and led the team in scoring in 13 games Scored 23 of his game-high 30 points (3-5 3FG) in the 1st half, adding 4 rebounds and 4 assists, in a 106-91 win over the Dallas Mavericks on 3/15 Scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the 2nd half, grabbed 6 rebounds and added 6 assists in a 103-98 win over the Sacramento Kings on 3/9 Registered a team-high 27 points and 3 rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets on 2/26 Recorded a game-high 27 points and 6 rebounds in a 90-84 victory over the Golden State Warriors on 2/20 Totaled a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 100-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers on 2/10

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Registered a game-high 33 points, 4 steals and 3 rebounds in a 98-93 victory over the Phoenix Suns on 3/3 Posted a game-high 31 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in a 117-82 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 2/15 Recorded a season-high 38 points (15-25 FG), 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a 97-90 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 2/1 Totaled a team-high 29 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists against the Chicago Bulls on 1/29 Registered a game-high 28 points (10-16 FG, 6-7 FG), 5 assists and 3 rebonds in a 92-77 win over the Atlanta Hawks on 1/24 Scored a team-high 29 points and added 5 assists in a 100-87 victory over the Washington Wizards on 1/21 Posted a game-high 28 points (10-15 FG, 3-4 3FG, 5-5 FT), 4 rebounds and 4 assists in a 96-86 win over the Utah Jazz on 1/16 Recorded a game-high 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 1/9 Scored a game-high 27 points, hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers, and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 97-95 win over the Houston Rockets on 1/3 Totaled a game-high 31 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a 96-91 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 12/19 Registered a game-high 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a 105-99 victory over the L.A. Lakers on 12/8 Posted a game-high 33 points, hitting 5-of-8 three-pointers, and 3 rebounds against the Orlando Magic on 12/2 Recorded a team-high 35 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists against the Phoenix Suns on 11/14 Totaled 24 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in a 101-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 11/8

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Rider averaged 16.1 points in his first season with the Trail Blazers to rank second on the team. He also contributed 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33.7 minutes per game. He led the club in free throw percentage at .812, hitting 26 in a row in one stretch, and his 99 three-point field goals ranked third on the team. He scored 40 points, the most by any Portland player all season and just two shy of his career-high, in a 118-106 victory over Boston on Feb. 16. He shot 13-for-19 from the field, 2-for-2 from the three-point arc and 12-for-13 from the foul line in that game, which was one of 25 in which he scored at least 20 points. Rider hauled down a season-high 11 rebounds, including six off the offensive boards, in a 106-102 loss to Seattle on Dec. 18. He handed out a career-high 11 assists in a 102-101 overtime defeat at Houston on Nov. 26. Rider was Portland's third-leading playoff scorer at 13.3 ppg, scoring 18 points in Game 2 against the Lakers and 16 in Game 4. He also contributed 4.3 assists, second on the team, in 40.3 minutes per game.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Rider led Minnesota in scoring at 19.6 per game, ranking 23rd in the NBA. He shot .464 from the field, .838 from the line (21st in the league) and .371 from three-point range and topped the Timberwolves by sinking 102 three-pointers. He scored 30 points or more six times and 20 points or more 37 times, including 22 of his last 38 games. Minnesota was 16-21 when he scored 20 or more, 6-32 when he was held below 20. He scored in double figures 67 times and led the club in scoring 39 times. He posted back-to-back 30-point efforts in March, getting 33 points at the Clippers on March 20 and 31 at Dallas on March 22. That was only the second time in club history a player had scored 30 or more in consecutive games, Tony Campbell having done it three games in a row in 1989. Rider also scored 30 points off the bench on March 3 against Miami, the second-highest total in team history by a reserve behind Gerald Glass' 32 points at the Lakers on Dec. 23, 1990. Rider also set a club record for guard with a career-high 15 rebounds in that game against Miami. Following the season, Rider was traded to Portland for guard James Robinson and forward Bill Curley.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Rider and the Timberwolves struggled through a difficult season, although the second-year guard continued to perform at a high level. He led the team in scoring (20.4 ppg), minutes played (35.3 per game), and dunks (56). He also battled with Coach Bill Blair and team management, earning a one-game suspension in December for disciplinary problems. Rider appeared in 75 games overall, starting 67. The Timberwolves suffered when Rider wasn't at his best. In the eight games he didn't start, the Timberwolves went 1-7. When he failed to score 20 or more points, the club was a dismal 4-28. When he didn't reach the 10-point mark, Minnesota went 2-7. Despite his inconsistencies, Rider showed star quality. He ranked 19th in the league in scoring and 8th among guards. On April 1 he threw in a career-high 42 points against the Golden State Warriors, the second-highest total in team history behind Tony Campbell's 44-point effort versus the Boston Celtics in February 1990. Rider also connected for 41 points against the Warriors on February 7, dishing out a career-high 9 assists to boot. He attempted to defend his NBA Slam-Dunk title at All-Star Weekend but finished runner-up to 1993 champ Harold Miner. Rider benefited from the closer three-point line adopted in 1994-95, establishing a team single-season record with 139 three-pointers, nearly 2 per game. He preferred playing at home; in his final 17 appearances on the road he shot only .400 from the floor. He compiled a .447 field-goal percentage for the year as the Timberwolves finished last in the Midwest Division with a 21-61 record.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
The enduring memory of Isaiah Rider's first NBA season will be the between-the-legs, fly-to-the-hoop jam that won him the Slam-Dunk Championship during the NBA All-Star Weekend on his home court in Minneapolis. Others will remember Rider's dazzling block of the New York Knicks' Patrick Ewing in a January 17 game at Madison Square Garden. The play, like Rider's spectacular dunk, made highlight reels across the country. Rider specialized in the spectacular long before he arrived in the NBA. In 1992-93, as a high-flying senior at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the 6-foot-5 guard ranked second in the nation with 29.1 points per game. He also tallied 8.9 rebounds per contest and shot .515 from the floor. The Minnesota Timberwolves, searching for some perimeter scoring punch, made Rider the fifth overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. He started slowly in 1993-94, coming off the bench in his first 15 games and averaging 9.0 points in only 21.5 minutes per game. However, after Coach Sidney Lowe inserted him into the starting lineup on December 8, Rider took off. Starting in 60 of his final 64 appearances, Rider hiked his scoring average to 16.6 points per game, third best among NBA rookies and second on the team to Christian Laettner (16.8 ppg). At season's end, Rider was voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, joining Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, and Vin Baker.