Jason Anthoney Richardson (born January 20, 1981) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played 14 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). Richardson was taken by the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft after playing

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...

. He won the NBA Dunk Contest in both 2002 and 2003, becoming the second player, after

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

, to win the competition back-to-back. Richardson has also played for the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, and the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. Richardson is often remembered for his proficiency in dunking and shooting. Since 2021, Richardson has been an active player for Tri-State of the

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...

Early life and college

Born in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greate ...

, Richardson graduated from

Arthur Hill High School Arthur Hill High School is a public high school in Saginaw, Michigan, United States. It serves students in grades 9-12 as one of three high schools in the Saginaw Public School District. History The school was named after a successful lumb ...

in 1999. Having led the Arthur Hill basketball team to the Class A championship game, Richardson was Mr. Basketball of Michigan and a McDonald's High School All-American in his senior year. Richardson chose to play college basketball for Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. In his freshman season at

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, Richardson averaged 5.1 points per game in 37 games (including three starts) and made 50.3% of attempted field goals. Led by

Mateen Cleaves Mateen Ahmad Cleaves (born September 7, 1977) is a retired American basketball player. He played parts of six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an All-American college player for Michigan State, where he led the Sparta ...

and

Morris Peterson Morris Russell Peterson Jr. (born August 26, 1977) is an American retired professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Michigan State University, where in ...

, the Spartans won the NCAA Championship with Richardson as a key reserve. In a bigger role in his sophomore season at Michigan State, he led the Spartans in scoring averaging 14.7 points per game. Richardson played along future NBA players Zach Randolph and Charlie Bell as the Spartans advanced to the Final Four before losing to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. He was named Big Ten First Team that year.

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (2001–2007)

The Warriors drafted Jason Richardson out of Michigan State with the 5th overall pick. Richardson competed in the

Rookie Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- and ...

as a rookie in 2002 and a sophomore in 2003. His teams won both years, and he was awarded the Rookie Challenge MVP as a rookie. As a sophomore, he had a memorable moment when, in the closing seconds of the game, he bounced the ball off

Carlos Boozer Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last seas ...

's forehead and then made a three-pointer before the clock ran out. During his time with Golden State, Richardson gained popularity for his outstanding scoring, ability to dunk, dedication to the team and fans, and ethical maturity. As the long time captain of the Warriors, Richardson organized a letter of apology to Warrior fans in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

after the team failed to make the playoffs for the 12th straight season. The letter ran in several

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

newspapers. The following year, Richardson helped lead the Warriors to their first playoff trip in 13 years. The Warriors upset the top-seeded

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

in the first round, but lost in the second round to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. Even after leaving Golden State, Richardson remained one of the most popular players among Warrior fans because of his electric style of play and ability to shoot three-pointers, as well as the longevity and tenor of his tenure with the team. Richardson set the Warrior franchise record for three-pointers made in a game without missing (8) in a home win against the

. Richardson is especially known for his high-flying abilities and is widely regarded as one of the best dunkers in 2000s. He won the

NBA Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

s in 2002 and 2003, and also competed in the 2004 contest, but lost to Fred Jones in the finals.

Charlotte Bobcats (2007–2008)

On June 28, 2007, Richardson was traded to the

along with the draft rights to 36th pick

Jermareo Davidson Jermareo Davidson (born November 15, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Alabama. High school Jermareo Davidson attended Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. College ...

for the draft rights to eighth pick Brandan Wright. Jason Richardson

Richardson began to gain attention with the Bobcats when he led the team to a road win against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

after scoring 34 points. This was only the Celtics' fourth loss of the season and second loss at home. It was also the Bobcats' second road win of the season, ending an 11-game road losing streak. Richardson also led the Bobcats to a franchise-record five consecutive game winning streak, including a home win against his former team, the Golden State Warriors. Richardson posted 42 points against the Warriors. The 2007–08 season was a season of rebuilding for Richardson and the Bobcats. He was able to get his points per game average back up to 21.8, lead the Bobcats in scoring, and lead the league in three-point field goals made.

Phoenix Suns (2008–2010)

On December 10, 2008, Richardson was traded along with

Jared Dudley Jared Anthony Dudley (born July 10, 1985) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A forward, he played college basketball for ...

, and a 2010 second-round pick to the

for

Boris Diaw Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born April 16, 1982), better known as Boris Diaw, is a French basketball executive and former player who is the president of Metropolitans 92 of LNB Pro A. Diaw began his playing career in Pro A and returned to that l ...

, Raja Bell and

Sean Singletary Sean Michael-Eli Singletary (born September 6, 1985) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other professional leagues. He played college basketball at the University of ...

. The Suns dealt for Richardson, as they were looking for another backcourt scorer to take pressure off of

Steve Nash Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 18 seasons in the NBA, ...

. In his first game as a Sun, Richardson scored a game-high 21 points, including an alley-oop from Leandro Barbosa that brought the crowd to their feet. His first year in Phoenix resulted in the team missing the playoffs for the first time since

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

. However, in his second year with the team, he helped bring them back to the playoffs with his play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. In the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Richardson led the Suns to a first-round victory over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, including a career playoff-high 42 points in a Game 3 blowout. In the next round, Richardson helped the Suns to a series sweep against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

, before falling to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

Orlando Magic (2010–2012)

On December 18, 2010, Richardson was traded to the

along with Hedo Türkoğlu and Earl Clark for

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played p ...

Marcin Gortat Marcin Janusz Gortat (; born February 17, 1984) is a Polish former professional basketball player. The , center is the son of boxer Janusz Gortat. He was drafted in the second round by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 NBA draft and played for the ...

, Mickaël Piétrus, a 2011 first-round draft pick and $3 million cash. In December 2011, Richardson agreed to a four-year, $25 million contract to remain in Orlando. The Magic made the playoffs in Richardson's first year with the team, losing in the first round to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

Philadelphia 76ers (2012–2015)

On August 10, 2012, Richardson was traded to the

in a four-team deal which sent

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team m ...

to the

. He managed just 33 games in 2012–13 before being ruled out for the rest of the season in January 2013 after undergoing surgery on his left knee, and subsequently sat out the entire 2013–14 season with the injury as well. On February 18, 2015, Richardson was a full participant in practice for the first time in over two years after having not taken to the court in 762 days. Two days later, he returned to action for the 76ers as he started against the Indiana Pacers. In 18 minutes of play, he recorded 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in the 95-106 loss. On March 4, 2015, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 123-118 overtime loss in Oklahoma City to the Thunder. Richardson's final NBA game ever was played on April 11, 2015 in a 107 - 114 loss to the Chicago Bulls. In that game, Richardson recorded 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

Retirement

On August 18, 2015, Richardson signed with the

. However, less than a month later, Richardson began experiencing pain in his right knee, and an MRI revealed bone spurs. On September 23, 2015, he announced his retirement from the NBA, citing he feared that his ability to walk would be impaired for the rest of his life if he continued to play.

Awards and accomplishments

NBA

* NBA

Slam Dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...

Champion: 2002, 2003 *

MVP: 2002 *

NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

: 2002 *NBA regular season leader for 3-point field goals made: 2007–08 (243 threes made)

College

NCAA champion The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges a ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

* Consensus second team All-American:

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

* All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

First Team: 2001

High school

* McDonald's All-American: 1999 * Mr. Basketball of Michigan: 1999 * Parade All-American Second Team: 1999

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 80 , , 75 , , 32.9 , , .426 , , .333 , , .671 , , 4.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 14.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 32.9 , , .410 , , .368 , , .764 , , 4.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 78 , , 78 , , 37.6 , , .438 , , .282 , , .684 , , 6.7 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 72 , , 72 , , 37.8 , , .446 , , .338 , , .693 , , 5.9 , , 3.9 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 21.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 75 , , 75 , , 38.4 , , .446 , , .384 , , .673 , , 5.8 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 23.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 51 , , 49 , , 32.8 , , .417 , , .365 , , .657 , , 5.1 , , 3.4 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 16.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 38.4 , , .441 , , .406 , , .752 , , 5.4 , , 3.1 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 21.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 14 , , 14 , , 35.1 , , .441 , , .458 , , .745 , , 4.1 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 58 , , 57 , , 33.1 , , .488 , , .383 , , .778 , , 4.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 16.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 79 , , 76 , , 31.5 , , .474 , , .393 , , .739 , , 5.1 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , 15.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 25 , , 25 , , 31.8 , , .470 , , .419 , , .764 , , 4.4 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 19.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, 55 , , 55 , , 34.9 , , .433 , , .384 , , .701 , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 13.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 54 , , 54 , , 29.5 , , .408 , , .368 , , .594 , , 3.6 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, 33 , , 33 , , 28.4 , , .402 , , .341 , , .606 , , 3.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 10.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 19 , , 15 , , 21.9 , , .348 , , .323 , , .773 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , 9.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 857 , , 842 , , 34.1 , , .438 , , .370 , , .707 , , 5.0 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 17.1

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

, align="left" , Golden State , 11 , , 11 , , 38.9 , , .476 , , .354 , , .704 , , 6.7 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 19.1 , - , align="left" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 16 , , 16 , , 33.3 , , .502 , , .475 , , .759 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 19.8 , - , align="left" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 30.6 , , .333 , , .320 , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .4 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 29.6 , , .396 , , .370 , , .417 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 11.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 37 , , 37 , , 34.1 , , .465 , , .404 , , .724 , , 5.4 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 17.1

References

External links

*
Michigan State Spartans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Jason 1981 births Living people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Michigan Big3 players Charlotte Bobcats players Golden State Warriors draft picks Golden State Warriors players McDonald's High School All-Americans Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Orlando Magic players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Saginaw, Michigan