Isaiah Rider: He had ALL THE TALENT IN THE WORLD but couldn’t get out of his own way | FPP

He could have been one of the best of his generation; a pure scorer with a complete offensive game, but not enough guidance to help him maximize it. He dropped out of high school and one JuCo before a year at a second JuCo got him a spot with Jerry Tarkanian and the UNLV Runnin Rebels. Sanctions from the NCAA left Rider unable to showcase his talent on a national stage as a Junior, but once his senior year came, he showed he was one of the best players in the nation. But his college career ended in a scandal which was foreshadowing for his NBA career. He was a lone bright spot for a relatively Minnesota Timberwolves team, but his issues off the court didn’t make his on the court contributions worth it, as Minnesota didn’t want to taint their rookie star, Kevin Garnett. He spent three seasons with the Portland Trailblazers where he didn’t stay out of trouble, but would be a great piece to the beginnings of the late 90s and early 2000s Blazers Western Conference Finals Teams, featuring players like Rasheed Wallace, Arvydas Sabonis, Kenny Anderson and Damon Stoudamire. He helped the team to their first conference finals, but was traded after the season in favour of veteran leadership. And once he arrived in Atlanta, he quickly destroyed what was left of any positive reputation he had. The Lakers took a chance on him the next year and he was able to get a ring, even though he was kept off the playoff roster, but after 10 games with Denver he was out of the league at 30 years old. If you’re talking talent alone, Isaiah Rider is one of the best, but he had no motivation or discipline to work to improve on that talent and wasn’t able to get out his own way. And because of that, his career has become a what if and his life after basketball has become a lesson to the younger generation. But if Isaiah Rider could have gotten on the right path, we would be talking about a possible hall of famer.
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