4. Isaiah Rider
Isaiah Rider didn’t mince words when he spoke. He was blunt and straight to the point.
Such was the case when Rider was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft.
On that day Rider predicted that he would win the Slam Dunk Championship, which he proved true two years later. He ended up winning with a dunk he called “The East Bay Funk Dunk.”
Rider reportedly struggled with his brashness as he often didn’t get along with teammates. This friction caused him to play for five different NBA teams in his nine years in the NBA.
He even began his NBA career by showing up late to his first ever practice with the Timberwolves.
Even despite these off the court reports, Rider’s career got off to an excellent start on it with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rider dropped 16.6 points his rookie year while making the All-Rookie First Team.
That season marked the start of Rider averaging double-digits in scoring for the first seven years of his career.
He set his career high for points per game in just his second season with 20.4.
Rider’s best years of his career may have come during his three years in Minnesota. He averaged 18.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game with the Wolves.
During the summer of 1996, Rider was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for a couple of players and a first-round draft pick.
Rider’s time in Portland was up and down.
On the court, he proved he belonged in the NBA by continuing to put up good scoring numbers.
Off the court, however, was a completely different story.
Rider was convicted of a misdemeanor marijuana possession during his time in Portland and would fight drug accusations later in his career as well.
He would only play three seasons in Portland until he was again traded in August of 1999 to the Atlanta Hawks.
It was a free fall from Atlanta.
Despite averaging 19.3 points in 60 games for the Hawks, he was abruptly released in March 2000.
The Hawks had previously suspended Rider for three games because he showed up late to a game. Rider, however, refused to accept that suspension and, as a result, was released by the Hawks.
He played sparingly for the last two seasons of his career, finishing with a career average of 16.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.