Anthony Richardson (basketball) facts for kids

Anthony Lamont Richardson (born July 29, 1983) is a former professional basketball player from America. He was a top high school player in 2001. He was even named North Carolina Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-American.

Anthony played four years of college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles. After college, he played nine years of professional basketball. He played in countries like Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands. He also played in the NBA D-League in the United States.

High School Basketball Star

Anthony Richardson was born and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He went to Leesville Road High School. He played basketball there for four years. His coach was Darryl Robinson.

During his senior year, Anthony became very well-known. He helped his team reach the 4A state championship game. Even though Leesville lost, Anthony was a standout player. Experts like ESPN ranked him as a top player in the country.

He averaged 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists per game in his senior year. He was named North Carolina Mr. Basketball in 2001. This success led to him being chosen as a McDonald's All-American. He was also named to the Parade All-America Third Team.

In the 2001 McDonald's game, Anthony scored 10 points. He also played in another all-star game, the Capital Classic, where he scored 7 points.

College Career at Florida State

Many top college basketball programs wanted Anthony to play for them. He chose to go to Florida State University. He was the first player to commit to Florida State that year.

At first, Anthony had some trouble with his college entrance tests. He worked hard and took extra summer classes. In September 2001, the NCAA said he could play. He wore jersey number 54, which was his high school number.

Freshman Year (2001–2002)

As a freshman, Anthony played in 27 games. He averaged 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high 19 points against NC State. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week once. He also had good grades and was an All-ACC Academic Selection.

Sophomore Year (2002–2003)

A new coach, Leonard Hamilton, joined the team. He gave Anthony a starting role. Anthony played more minutes and improved a lot. He averaged 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He scored a career-high 20 points against Georgia Tech.

Later College Years (2003–2005)

In his junior year, Anthony started the first 16 games. He scored a new career-high of 27 points against Northwestern. Later, he came off the bench for the rest of the season.

As a senior, he started 8 out of 29 games. He had his best shooting percentages. He led his team in free throw percentage in both his junior and senior years.

College Statistics

Professional Basketball Journey

Anthony Richardson playing professionally.

After college, Anthony was eligible for the 2005 NBA draft. However, no NBA team picked him. So, he started his professional career in other leagues.

He played for the Butte Daredevils in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He averaged 15.5 points per game. He was named to the CBA all-star team. He even won the slam dunk contest, dunking from the free throw line!

Next, he joined the Kansas Cagerz in the United States Basketball League (USBL). He was the top scorer in the league, averaging 20 points per game. He helped his team win the USBL title. He was also named the USBL Player of the Year.

In 2007, Anthony played in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League with the New Orleans Hornets. He then moved to Europe. He played for a German team, BSG Ludwigsburg. After that, he went to the Netherlands to play for EiffelTowers Den Bosch. He played two seasons there and won the NBB Cup in 2009. He was also an all-star in the Dutch league in 2009 and 2010. He won another slam dunk contest there!

Anthony returned to the United States in 2010. He was drafted into the NBA Development League (now G League). He played for the New Mexico Thunderbirds and then the Reno Bighorns.

In 2011, he moved to Japan to play for Aishin Sea Horses. He averaged 10 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. After Japan, he briefly returned to the Reno Bighorns. Then he played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the D-League.

In 2013, Anthony was drafted into the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He was an all-star in the 2013–14 season. He played for two teams in South Korea: Busan KT Sonicboom and Goyang Orions. He won the slam dunk contest again during the 2014 KBL all-star game. His last professional season was in 2014–15 with the Wonju DB Promy.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Anthony Richardson became a basketball coach.

• From 2018 to 2021, he was the Head Boy's Varsity Coach at Northland Christian School. He helped young players grow their skills.
• In 2021, he became the Assistant Boys Basketball Coach at William Chrisman High School. He helped the team have record-breaking seasons.
• Since 2023, Anthony has been an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). He helps the UMKC Roos team develop and succeed.

Images for kids

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  Anthony Richardson playing professionally.