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Sunday, January 28, 2001
Rider fined by Jackson for missing flight



NEW YORK -- In his latest episode of lateness, Isaiah Rider missed the Los Angeles Lakers' charter flight to New York and had to pay for his own ticket on a cross-country commercial flight.

Isaiah Rider
Rider

Rider arrived in New York late Saturday but was in uniform Sunday, playing 23 minutes and scoring seven points in the Lakers' 91-81 loss to the New York Knicks.

Rider also was fined an undisclosed amount, coach Phil Jackson said.

"I was supposed to be there at 9, got there at 9:05 and the plane was still there, but that's the rule. No big deal," Rider said. "I got here and life goes on. I wasn't penalized for it -- a couple hundred bucks, I think."

Rider has a history of lateness throughout his career, which has included stops in Minnesota, Portland and Atlanta.

He has been late for practices and games several times this season, including once in San Antonio when he missed the team bus and showed up at the arena with a note from the manager of the team hotel explaining that Rider had not received his wake-up call because of a hotel employee's mistake.

In this case, the Lakers' charter flight was scheduled to leave at 9 a.m., and Jackson said the team left after waiting five extra minutes. Rider's agent called Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak at 9:07 a.m. to say that Rider had arrived late, Jackson said.

"With J.R., as with a Dennis Rodman, (lateness) is not the issue. The issue is about being ready to play on the court," Jackson said. "That's going to be part of their behavior, it's going to be on the line or at the line or over the line. That's the way they exist. It tells me something about his willingness and his preparedness and desire."
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