Minnesota Timberwolves (1993–1996) Rider was chosen with the 5th overall pick of the
1993 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rider started his NBA career strong, finishing the
1993–94 season as a member of the
NBA's All-Rookie First Team. He won the 1994
NBA Slam Dunk Contest (he brashly predicted that he would win on draft day) with a dunk that he called "The East Bay Funk Dunk." While Rider averaged 19 points per game in his three years with the Timberwolves, his play slipped after his rookie season. He also began a pattern of off-court misbehavior. and was involved in an incident in which he kicked the female manager of a sports bar for which he ultimately was convicted of fifth-degree assault. By 1996, Minnesota finally lost patience with Rider and dealt him to
Portland in return for
Bill Curley,
James Robinson and a conditional first round draft pick in 1997 or 1998. Just before the trade Rider was arrested for
marijuana possession. At the time of his arrest he also had an illegal cell phone; it had been altered to charge calls to someone else's bill. He was later convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession, and pleaded
no contest to possessing the illegal cell phone. Rider tallied a season-high 38 points (15-25 FG), along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, against the Toronto Raptors on February 1, 1998. In the 1998–99 season, Rider averaged 13.9 points per game and led the team in scoring 13 times. The Hawks had finished fourth in the Eastern Conference in the lockout-shortened season, and thought Rider was the final piece in the puzzle. So they sent Smith to the Blazers for Rider and
Jim Jackson, another talent who had not quite reached his potential. The trade didn't sit well with Hawks fans, since Smith had been one of the most popular players on the team. Coach
Lenny Wilkens didn't want the trade either, but tried to fit Rider into the system. Rider played well enough on the court, pacing the Hawks in scoring. However, his off-court incidents exploded in Atlanta. After reports that he had smoked marijuana in an
Orlando hotel room, the league demanded that he attend drug counseling. He refused and was fined a total of $200,000 until he agreed to attend. He was suspended numerous times by the Hawks as well, and fined a total of $200,000 by the team. Even after Wilkens benched him in March with the Hawks long out of contention, Rider still continued to be tardy for games and practices, prompting the Hawks to threaten a three-game suspension for another incident. He showed up late for a March game in
Detroit, and rather than serve a three-game suspension, he demanded his outright release. The Hawks complied. Though left off the playoff roster in favor of
Tyronn Lue, Rider was awarded a championship ring by the franchise.
Denver Nuggets (2001) Prior to the
2001–02 season, the
Denver Nuggets signed Rider to help resuscitate their moribund offense, but Rider's stint in Denver was limited to just 10 games before he was waived on November 20, 2001. Rider refused to term it "retirement" at the time, however, insisting that he could still play if given the chance. In 563 NBA games, (424 starts), Rider averaged 16.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 31:42 of floor time per game. Rider totaled 9,405 points in his 9-year NBA career. ==Career statistics==