Micheal Ray Richardson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Micheal Ray Richardson

Richardson with Virtus Bologna
Personal information
Born	(1955-04-11) April 11, 1955 (age 70) Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
High school	Manual (Denver, Colorado)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	189 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College	Montana (1974–1978)
NBA Draft	1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the New York Knicks
Pro career	1978–2002
Coaching career	2004–2014
Career history
As player:
1978–1982	New York Knicks
1982–1983	Golden State Warriors
1983–1986	New Jersey Nets
1986–1987	Long Island Knights
1987–1988	Albany Patroons
1988–1991	Virtus Bologna
1991–1992	Split
1992–1994	Livorno
1994–1997	Olympique Antibes
1997–1998	Cholet Basket
1998–1999	Montana Forlì
1999–2000	Livorno
2001	Olympique Antibes
2002	AC Golfe-Juan-Vallauris
As coach:
2004–2007	Albany Patroons
2007–2011	Oklahoma / Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry
2011–2014	London Lightning
Career highlights and awards
As player: 4× NBA All-Star (1980–1982, 1985) 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1980, 1981) NBA Comeback Player of the Year (1985) 3× NBA steals leader (1980, 1983, 1985) NBA assists leader (1980) French Federation Cup winner (1998) FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup champion (1990) FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup Finals top scorer (1990) LNB Pro A champion (1995) 2× Italian Cup winner (1989, 1990) LBA steals leader (1989) 3× LBA All-Star Game (1988–1990) 2× LBA All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1993) 2× ULEB All-Star Game (1993, 1994) Croatian Cup winner (1992) CBA champion (1988) 3× First-team All-Big Sky (1976–1978) As coach: 2× CBA champion (2008, 2009) 2× NBL Canada champion (2012, 2013) 2× NBL Canada Coach of the Year (2012, 2013) PBL Coach of the Year (2010)
Career NBA statistics
Points	8,253 (14.8 ppg)
Rebounds	3,056 (5.5 rpg)
Assists	3,899 (7.0 apg)

Micheal Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. In the 1978 NBA draft, he was the fourth player chosen overall. Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years. He was a four-time NBA All-Star and led the league in steals three times. Later, he became a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada).

Early Life and High School Basketball

Micheal Ray Richardson was born in Lubbock, Texas. He graduated from Manual High School in Denver, Colorado, in 1974. He was a talented player, averaging 10 points per game. Richardson played on the 1972 state championship team. He became a starter for the varsity team in his senior year.

College Basketball Career

Richardson played college basketball at the University of Montana. He was recruited by Hall of Fame Coach Jud Heathcote.

Freshman Year Success

As a freshman in the 1974-1975 season, Montana's team, the Grizzlies, had a great record of 21 wins and 8 losses. They qualified for the 1975 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. Richardson averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. The Grizzlies won against Utah State but lost a close game to the UCLA Bruins. UCLA later became the national champions that year.

Sophomore and Junior Seasons

In his sophomore year (1975–1976), Richardson averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Montana finished the season with 13 wins and 12 losses. After this season, Coach Heathcote moved to Michigan State University. There, he won the NCAA title in 1979. Under the new coach, Jim Brandenburg, Richardson continued to excel. As a junior (1976–1977), he averaged 19.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Montana's team finished with 18 wins and 8 losses.

Senior Year and College Records

During his senior year (1977–1978), Richardson averaged 24.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. The Montana team finished with 20 wins and 8 losses, winning the Big Sky Conference regular-season title.

Throughout his college career at Montana, Richardson played 107 games. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He was named First-team All-Big Sky Conference for three years in a row. Today, Richardson still holds the Montana single-game scoring record of 40 points. He also holds the record for 18 field goals in a single game. His 24.2 points per game in a season is also a Montana record. He is second in career scoring for Montana with 1,827 points.

Professional Basketball Career

Micheal Ray Richardson had a notable career in the NBA and later in Europe.

New York Knicks Years (1978–1982)

The New York Knicks chose Richardson as the fourth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. People thought he would be like the famous player Walt Frazier. In his second year, Richardson made history. He became only the third player in NBA history to lead the league in both assists (10.1) and steals (3.2). He also set new records for the Knicks in both categories. He achieved 18 triple-doubles that season, which is the second-highest in Knicks history.

During the 1980-81 NBA season, Richardson was selected for his second All-Star game. He scored 11 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and made 4 steals. The Knicks finished with 50 wins and 32 losses, and Richardson played in the playoffs for the first time. However, the Knicks lost in the first round to the Chicago Bulls. In the next season, on November 27, 1981, Richardson scored his highest points as a Knick, with 33 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets (1982–1986)

In October 1982, Richardson was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He played 33 games for them before being traded again to the New Jersey Nets in February 1983.

In the 1984 playoffs, Richardson helped the Nets achieve a surprising win over the defending champions, the Philadelphia 76ers. In the final game of that series, he scored 24 points and had six steals. The Nets then played against the Milwaukee Bucks. Richardson led the Nets to a Game 4 victory with 24 points. However, the Nets lost that series.

In 1985, Richardson was named the NBA Comeback Player of the Year. He averaged 20.1 points and led the league in steals. He played all 82 games that season. On October 30, 1985, Richardson had an amazing game. He scored 38 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, recorded 11 assists, and stole the ball 9 times. This happened during a win against the Indiana Pacers.

In his NBA career, Richardson played 556 games. He averaged 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.6 steals. In 18 playoff games, he averaged 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.8 steals. After his time in the NBA, Richardson continued his successful basketball career in Europe.

Playing in Other Leagues

After his NBA career, Richardson played for the Long Island Knights in the United States Basketball League during the 1986–87 season. He then joined the Albany Patroons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the 1987–88 season. With the Patroons, he won the CBA championship.

European Basketball Career (1988–2002)

In 1988, Richardson signed with Virtus Bologna, a well-known European team. He helped them win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. He played for several other European teams, including KK Split (1991–1992), Baker Livorno (1992–1994), Olympique Antibes (1994–1997), Cholet Basket (1997–1998), and Montana Forlì (1998–1999). He also played for Basket Livorno again (1999–2000), Olympique Antibes again (2001), and finally AC Golfe-Juan-Vallauris (2002) at 47 years old.

Richardson won the European-wide second-tier FIBA Cup Winners' Cup in the 1989–90 season with Virtus Bologna. He also won the LNB Pro A championship with Olympique Antibes in 1995.

Coaching Career

Micheal Ray Richardson also had a successful career as a basketball coach.

Albany Patroons (2004–2007)

On December 14, 2004, Richardson became the head coach of the Albany Patroons in the CBA. He had played for Albany earlier in his career, when they won a CBA championship.

Oklahoma / Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry (2007–2011)

On May 24, 2007, Richardson was named head coach of the Oklahoma Cavalry in the CBA. He later coached the relocated Lawton-Ft Sill Cavalry in Lawton, Oklahoma. He led the Cavalry to win three championships in a row from 2008 to 2010. They won the Continental Basketball Association Finals in 2008 and 2009. They also won the Premiere Basketball League Finals in 2010.

London Lightning (2011–2014)

On August 17, 2011, Richardson was hired as the first head coach of the NBL Canada's London Lightning. He was named the NBL Canada's first-ever Coach of the Month in November 2011, and again in January 2012. London finished the regular season with 28 wins and 8 losses. On March 25, 2012, Richardson led the Lightning to win the NBL Canada's first championship. After the game, he was named the NBL Canada Coach of the Year for 2011–12.

On April 12, 2013, Richardson led the London Lightning to another victory, making them back-to-back NBL champions. Richardson left the London Lightning after the 2013–14 season.

Personal Life

As of 2015, Richardson lived in Lawton, Oklahoma. He has 11 grandchildren. He also puts on youth basketball clinics with his longtime friend and former teammate, Otis Birdsong. Richardson worked for a financial firm, and he and his wife, Kimberly, owned a beauty salon. His son, Amir Richardson, is a professional football player who plays for ACF Fiorentina and the Morocco national team.

Richardson changed the spelling of his first name from "Michael" to "Micheal" in 1983.

Honors and Recognition

• Richardson was inducted into the Montana Grizzly Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
• In 2001, he was inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame at the University of Montana.
• In 2013, Richardson was named to the list of Big Sky Conference 50 Greatest Male Athletes.

NBL Coaching Record

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

Images for kids

• 

  Richardson with Virtus Bologna

See also

In Spanish: Micheal Ray Richardson para niños