By JONAS TERRADO
NBA legend Glen Rice continues to have high respect to his PBA counterpart Allan Caidic that he considers “The Triggerman” to be in the same class as some of basketball’s great shooters.
“I would have to say he’s up there with all the shooters,” Rice told Filipino reporters Thursday in the NBA Republika Playoffs online media availability.
“When you talk about the Larry Birds, the Glen Rices, the Steph Currys and what nots, he’s definitely gonna feel at home in that group,” added the 1997 NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player and member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2000 title team.
Rice has been a big fan of Caidic ever since he was part of a group of NBA legends that played alongside a group of PBA stars and greats in an exhibition game at the Araneta Colisuem on Aug. 28, 2010.
Caidic put on a show in front of a good-sized crowd, hitting 54 points on 14 triples to power the Red Team that included Rice, Gary Payton, Vergel Meneses, Arwind Santos and LA Tenorio past the White Team, 177-167, in the event dubbed as NBA Asia Challenge.
Former Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber, who played for the losing team, later said that it was a nightmare facing Caidic.
The mutual respect between the two players continued in 2017 when Rice and Caidic reunited during an NBA Philippines event in Taguig City.
“He’s my man,” said Rice. “You have to put him in the top of the class, especially because at his age, he went out there and put on a show when it comes to shooting, and I can only imagine seeing him play in his prime.”
Rice is set to appear alongside former Lakers teammate and NBA G-League Select Team coach Brian Shaw in the NBA Republika Playoffs party set Aug. 17.
