CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Glen Rice joined the Miami Heat in 1989 and became a star. Now, the 40-year-old former NBA player is the focus of an alleged assault at his family's home in the Deering Estate community.

Rice is accused of assaulting a man he found in his wife's closet. He turned himself in to authorities Friday afternoon.

According to police, the 6-foot-8-inch former basketball star went to the Coral Gables home he once shared with his estranged wife and four kids and used a key to enter the front door. Once inside, he confronted his wife, Christina, and demanded to know the identity of the man who he found crouching in the master closet.

"Mr. Rice then grabbed the victim by his throat and physically removed him from the bedroom," Miami-Dade police spokesman Roy Rutland told Local 10's Charles Perez.

Police said the man in the closet was Alberto Perez, 37. He ran from the residence and called police. Perez suffered lacerations to his forehead and received nine stitches.

Glen and Christina Rice were seen together in a layout for Sports Illustrated's 2000 swimsuit edition three years after they were married in 1997.

Rice, the fourth player selected in the 1989 NBA draft out of Michigan, was a guard with the Heat from 1989 until he was traded before the 1995-96 season. Rice was also a member of the world champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. He retired from the NBA after the 2003-04 season.

According to police, his star status made no difference in the eyes of the law.

"We treat them all the same," said Rutland, "regardless of whether or not you're a star, and that's exactly what happened with him."

Rice was charged with felony battery and released after posting $5,000 bond.