Former Texas Basketball Star Sir'Jabari Rice Signs New Professional Contract

In this story:
AUSTIN -- A Texas Longhorns men's basketball fan favorite has found a new home where he'll continue his professional basketball journey.
Former Texas guard Sir'Jabari Rice has signed with Metros de Santiago, a professional team in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The club currently plays in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, an eight-team league in the DR.
Rice confirmed the news on X (Twitter) by retweeting the official announcement from the team.
Take a look:
Anunciamos la contratación de Sir’Jabari Rice.#FamiliaMetros | @lnbrd pic.twitter.com/nkkVdFCTWv
— Metros de Santiago (@MetrosSantiago) June 10, 2024
Rice, a Houston native, played just one season at Texas during the 2022-23 campaign after four years at New Mexico State. Despite his short time in Austin, he became beloved by Longhorn fans for being a crucial piece during the team's run to the Elite Eight that season. He was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 13 points, 3.5 rebounds and two assists on an efficient 46.4 percent from the field.
After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, Rice signed with the San Antonio Spurs. However, he didn't appear in a regular-season game and spent most of the year back in the capitol while playing for the G League's Austin Spurs.
In 32 appearances for Austin this past season, Rice averaged 10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 22.1 minutes per game.
"Dreams just came true in front of me," Rice said after signing his undrafted deal with the Spurs last season. "I'm not big on wanting to be satisfied, but I'm just very blessed. I thank God for the opportunity and I'm just excited to get to work.
"The journey's definitely been hard, but I embrace that. I love every part of the journey."
Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7
Follow ZachDimmitt7