A former Los Angeles Lakers champion is having another run-in with the law.
Retired ex-NBA forward Isaiah Rider was arrested in Maricopa County, Ariz. last week for failure to comply with a court order, TMZ Sports reported on Monday. Rider got arrested on the misdemeanor charge and was expected to remain in county jail through Tuesday.
The court order stems from proceedings by Rider’s estranged wife Vanessa. TMZ adds that Vanessa initially filed for a protective order from Rider in July 2025, accusing the former NBA player of being aggressive and making threats against both her and their 15-year-old son on multiple occasions.
As part of the court order, Rider was required to not have any contact with his wife or son and also to stay away from their residence and his son’s school. But Rider was already arrested once this past December for violating the protective order, ultimately being charged with interfering with judicial proceedings. Rider was then arrested again days later after missing a hearing on whether the order should remain in place (it was indeed ultimately extended).
Now Rider, who claimed that Vanessa had filed for the protective order because he was moving forward with their divorce, has been arrested a third time in relation to the order. You can read TMZ’s full report on the situation here.
Nicknamed “JR,” Rider (who is now 55 years old) played in the NBA from 1993-2001, spanning stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets. Most notably, Rider won the 1994 NBA Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie with the Timberwolves and was then a member of the Lakers’ NBA championship team in 2001.
But Rider has also battled substance issues for much of his adult life, once being suspended by the NBA in 2001 for violating the league’s anti-drug policy and even serving time in jail in 2007 after pleading guilty to both cocaine and battery charges. Now Rider is in trouble with the law once again, mirroring the recent legal issues of another former Dunk Contest champion.
