There is something magnetic about the idea of a perfect basketball pairing that fans wanted to witness but never happened: one where timing, age, or simply fate got in the way. As the NBA is a league built on what-ifs and near misses, some player duos are just too tantalizing not to imagine. Now, a three-time All-Star and one of the sharpest shooters of the 1990s, an imaginary pairing still sits in the back of his mind. There is no prize for guesses. For him, it is LeBron James, the king.

Even two decades after his retirement, Rice’s legacy remains tied to his flamethrower accuracy and scoring brilliance, especially during the times he dominated the court with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat. However, it is what could have been that has recently gained attention. In a clip that went viral on Instagram, the 1997 All-Star Game MVP said that there was one modern star he would have liked to have played with, but of course, not for fame.

“One All-Star I would love to play with? Man, that’s a great question,” Rice said, pausing for thought. “I would like to play with LeBron. If you get open just that much, just that much, LeBron is trying to get you the basketball. And he loves waving shooters on his team.” It is an ask not for popularity but because their styles would have worked together perfectly and could have possibly destroyed the team today. That singular wish carries more weight than nostalgia. But Glen Rice was no role player.

He dropped 26.8 points per game when he was at his peak in the 1996-97 season and once held the record of the Miami Heat franchise, where he once held the record for most points in a single game (56) until a young LeBron shattered it with 61 points in 2014. Even though they never played together in the NBA, as Rice retired in 2004, and James joined the league just a few months prior, the thought of a LeBron-Rice pair brings to mind a different world of great spacing and playmaking.

Rice’s admiration stems not just from LeBron’s achievements but from the way James elevates shooters in the world of basketball. With career stats that include 24.4 points per game this season with an impressive 35 minutes game time, and a true shooting percentage of 60.4%, LeBron, even at the age of 40, has long made a living threading dimes to perimeter threats. For a player like Rice, who once hit 207 threes in a season, that kind of teammate would have meant career extension and maybe more rings.

Glen Rice’s legacy and LeBron James’ longevity are what make the sport beautiful

While LeBron’s GOAT resume includes four championships, 20 all-star appearances, and nearly 50,000 career points so far, Rice’s impact shouldn’t be overlooked in modern times, but should be taken as an example. He won the Three-Point Shootout in 1995 and still retains the NCAA tournament scoring records from Michigan’s 1989 title run. And even though Curry and Lillard are getting a lot of attention at present, Rice’s shooting style was a model for the current generation.

In the same clip, Glenn Rice spoke warmly about watching a young Steph Curry shoot with the Charlotte squad. He said, “Even then, we were like, wow.” It was another nod to the game’s evolution, which OneRice helped accelerate and envision. Now he watches from afar, as a part fan, and still thinks about how the game could have been even more beautiful with LeBron by his side. His statement even reflects that even after retiring back in 2004 and now in 2025, his heart is still young and carries the same passion for basketball, and he would not mind entering the court again, if his bones allowed.

As the 2024-2025 season wrapped up quite early for LeBron, he still averaged 24.4 points and 8.2 assists, which many speculate are the final years of his career, given the longevity Rice admires only reinforces what might have been. “He waives shooters,” Rice repeated, as if that act alone could’ve changed the trajectory of his late-career years.

And maybe, in a way, it still can through these moments and clips that go viral on Instagram and social media. These clips and memories bring the shared respect and act as a bridge between basketball’s past and present. And also demonstrates what the biggest what-ifs in NBA history look like. One where a shooter like Rice imagines just one more pass, one more open look from LeBron by his side. And most possibly in a Miami Heat jersey.