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

Former Texas Longhorns guard Sir'Jabari Rice played with the G League's Austin Spurs this past season.

Mar 24, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Sir'Jabari Rice (10) greets teammates as he comes to the bench during the first half of an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional semifinal against the Xavier Musketeers at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

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."