On December 4, former Los Angeles Lakers guard Isaiah Rider was arrested in Gilbert, Arizona, on allegations of violating a protective order. The case only appeared on the Gilbert Municipal Court website on December 11. Now, Rider has spoken out, indicating the situation arose from something else entirely.

“I filed for divorce,” Rider told TMZ Sports. “We thought we were co-parenting. I’ve been around my kid. I’ve been around her for the last six months. Unbeknownst to me, she filed for a protective order in July.”

Rider explained that the order hadn’t been served until December, despite months of continued contact between him and his ex-wife, Veronica. He indicated that there were no incidents or disagreements during this period that required police involvement, and reiterated that there was no indication of the existence of a legal order.

According to Rider, police arrived at his residence and informed him about the protective order, and explained that the officers were confused after learning that the couple had maintained regular contact during the previous six months. Later that same day, Rider attended his son’s school-level basketball game and left without incident.

The former Lakers guard then explained that on his way back, while on the freeway, the police pulled him over, detaining him. He claimed that there was a tracker placed on him, which he later found. Rider was then arrested after authorities reasoned that he violated the protective order against him by going to his son’s game. Rider appeared in court the next day.

Rider had filed for divorce against his wife, Vanessa Rider, on Nov. 21, 2024, in Maricopa County Superior Court. Then, on July 3, 2025, an order of protection was granted to Vanessa, prohibiting Isaiah from contacting her and their children. A couple of days after Isaiah’s arrest, Vanessa filed a motion to modify temporary orders in the case and force her husband to pay the child support he had been ordered to provide earlier that year.

“Mr. Rider is not a violent person,” his lawyer, Benjamin Taylor, told TMZ Sports. “He wants the best for his ex and his child… He’s now being served for something that allegedly happened back in July.”

Protective Order Against Isaiah Rider Detailed and His Legal Process Ahead

Rider, who played 9 seasons in the NBA and won a championship alongside Shaquille O’Neal on the Los Angeles Lakers, made it clear that his priority lies in remaining with his children and resolving divorce through legal channels.

According to Isaiah Rider’s lawyer, Benjamin Taylor, in Arizona, where the arrest happened, protective orders can be issued without the accused present, and they are not formally notified until the order is served. He noted that this can create situations where the contact continues unknowingly, even though the order is technically active.

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Taylor also claimed that Rider’s ex-wife initiated contact herself previously, but never served the order, and now that Rider is going through with the divorce proceedings, she’s using the order to worsen his image, since she doesn’t want the divorce to happen.

Taylor made it clear that the NBA veteran intends to contest the order and clear his name, emphasizing that the contact between the two parties continued as their main point, along with maintaining their position that Rider was unaware of any restrictions, and his actions were consistent with previous co-parenting arrangements.

Rider has an upcoming court hearing next week and hopes the matter will be addressed here. Until then, the case remains open.

“At the end of the day, I have to defend myself and move forward,” Rider said. “People break up, people divorce, and it doesn’t mean it has to be war like this.”

The court proceedings are still ongoing.