NZ Breakers import Glen Rice Jr is asking for forgiveness, after his latest run-in with the law.
The 28-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning, after getting into a fight at an Auckland bar.
He's since spent the past few days with the team in Perth, preparing to play the second-placed Wildcats, but less than two hours before tip-off, the Australian NBL ordered the Breakers to stand him down.
The Breakers went on to lose 88-77, a result that sees their record fall to two wins and seven losses.
Rice was disappointed he didn’t get to play. The players weren't told of his stand-down until about 45 minutes before the game started.
On Monday morning, the American landed back in New Zealand to deal with the consequences of Thursday morning's events.
"It's before the court date, so I can't really say much," he told Newshub at Auckland airport.
Rice arrived from the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, November 6 and felt jetlag had contributed to his inability to sleep a week later.
"I went to try to grab something to eat and then it was the incident, but I can't say much before the court date."
Police confirmed to Newshub that they responded to a report of disorder at a club on Fort Lane at 4:15am. A man was arrested, charged with injuring with intent to injure and later released.
An ambulance was apparently called to an address around the corner from Fort Lane to treat an assault victim with non-life threatening injuries just a few moments later.
Rice told Breakers management when he arrived at training later that day, but the club decided he was innocent until proven guilty and cleared him to travel with the team.
Their next match is against Adelaide on Sunday and the Breakers are awaiting clearance from Basketball Australia's integrity unit on whether Rice will be available for that game.
Regardless, the son of former NBA all-star Glen Rice hopes he can get another shot.
"I feel like everybody deserves a second chance at this point," he said. "I mean, obviously, there was an incident, but these are great people [at the Breakers].
"I just wanna try to make amends with it and try to move on, and try to help them as much as I can, the same way that they helped me."
Rice arrived in New Zealand with a long record of misbehaviour - he was suspended three times at Georgia Tech University, and eventually kicked off the team for driving and discharging a firearm, while drunk.
He played under Breakers director of basketball Dan Shamir at Hapoel Holon in the Israel, where he was named Most Valuable Player of the Israeli Cup final, but was later released, after punching a teammate in the face.
"Glen is a good guy and I'm the only one who knows him personally here," said Shamir, when the Breakers signed Rice.
"He's had lots of stories in the past, but I know he wants to do well and I hope this will be the case.
"I know the value he can bring to our team, and hopefully everything will go okay and we will see the good side of him."
