San Antonio Spurs sign Sir'Jabari Rice in 2023 NBA Draft

Former Texas and New Mexico State guard Sir’Jabari Rice is officially an NBA player. Just past midnight on the east coast, Rice signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs, per Adrian Wojnarowski.

His entrance to the NBA comes after a meteoric rise in his final year of school. Few players have benefitted more from the combination of the transfer portal and the extra COVID year than Rice, who sent four years as a primary contributor at New Mexico State before opting to transfer to Texas for year No. 5.

With the Longhorns, Rice put up better numbers than he had at the mid-major level and only improved as the season went on. In conference play, Rice averaged more than 14 points a game while shooting better than 50/40/90 at 52.6% from the field, 40.5% from three and 90.2% from the free throw line.

For his consistent and efficient scoring off the bench, Rice locked down the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year award and added an All-Big 12 selection to his three previous All-WAC appearances. Not bad for an unranked recruit out of Houston, Texas.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Sir’Jabari Rice

The Athletic’s biggest draft expert, Sam Vecenie, had the longtime college star as a fringe second rounder before the draft and said he would have definitely sign him to a deal as an undrafted free agent if he had fallen out of the second round. Here was what he said of the former Longhorn:

“Rice is a guy I want in my system for this coming year. He’s a winner. I don’t think it’s an accident that he’s been a part of four teams that have won at least 25 games, including three that won at least 27. His ability to just make the right decision out there while also knocking down shots is incredibly valuable. He knows when to attack and has a plan for how he goes about it. He just needs to get stronger and keep improving as a shooter. He’s totally fearless out there in a way that I love. I think there is a nonzero chance that, if he holds up on defense, he could realistically play minutes as soon as next season. Coaches are going to love the way he thinks and clearly prepares well before games. He’s a clear two-way guy for me.”

That’s some pretty high praise coming from Vecenie, who’s an authority on all things NBA Draft. Hopefully a bright professional future is to come for Sir’Jabari Rice.