Micheal Ray Richardson facts for kids
Richardson with Virtus Bologna.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 11, 1955 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:
As coach:
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| 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. He was the 4th pick in the 1978 NBA draft. Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years. He played for the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets. He was chosen for the NBA All-Star team four times. He also led the league in steals in three seasons. Later, he became a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada).
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
Micheal Ray Richardson was born in Lubbock, Texas. He went to Manual High School in Denver, Colorado. He was part of the state championship team in 1972. Even though he averaged 10 points, he only became a starter in his final year.
College Career at Montana
Richardson played college basketball at the University of Montana. He was recruited by famous coach Jud Heathcote.
Freshman Year Success
In his first year (1974-1975), Montana had a great season, winning 21 games and losing 8. They made it to the 1975 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. Richardson averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. They beat Utah State but lost a close game to the UCLA Bruins.
Growing as a Player
As a sophomore (1975-1976), Richardson's skills grew. He averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. After this season, Coach Heathcote left Montana.
Under new coach Jim Brandenburg, Richardson continued to shine. In 1976-1977, he averaged 19.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Montana finished with 18 wins and 8 losses.
In his senior year (1977-1978), Richardson averaged 24.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. Montana won the Big Sky regular-season title.
Montana Records and Achievements
During his time at Montana, Richardson averaged 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He was named First-team All-Big Sky Conference three times.
He still holds the Montana record for 40 points in a single game. He also has the record for 18 field goals in one game. Richardson is second in career scoring for Montana with 1,827 points.
Professional Basketball Journey
New York Knicks: A Rising Star (1978–1982)
The New York Knicks picked Richardson fourth overall in the 1978 NBA draft. People thought he would be like the legendary player Walt Frazier. In his second year, Richardson made history. He led the NBA in both assists (10.1) and steals (3.2). He also had 18 triple-doubles, which is a lot for a Knicks player.
In the 1980-81 NBA season, Richardson was chosen for his second All-Star game. The Knicks won 50 games that season, and Richardson made the playoffs. However, they lost in the first round to the Chicago Bulls. In November 1981, he scored his highest points as a Knick, with 33 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Golden State Warriors (1982–1983)
In 1982, Richardson was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He played only 33 games for them. During his time there, he had a great game with 10 points, 11 assists, and 9 steals against the San Antonio Spurs. Soon after, he was traded again to the New Jersey Nets.
New Jersey Nets: Comeback and Success (1983–1986)
With the New Jersey Nets, Richardson helped them upset the defending champions, the Philadelphia 76ers, in the 1984 playoffs. In the final game of that series, he scored 24 points and had six steals.
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. In October 1985, he almost got a quadruple-double! He scored 38 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, had 11 assists, and stole the ball 9 times.
Richardson played 556 NBA games in his career. He averaged 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.6 steals.
NBA Ban and European Career
On February 25, 1986, NBA Commissioner David Stern banned Richardson from the NBA. This was due to violations of the league's rules. He was allowed to play in the NBA again in 1988. However, he chose to continue his career in Europe. He never played in the NBA again after his ban.
Playing in Other Leagues
After the NBA, Richardson played for the Long Island Knights in 1986–87. He then joined the Albany Patroons in the CBA for the 1987–88 season.
Playing in Europe
Richardson spent 14 seasons playing basketball in Europe. He played for many teams, including Virtus Bologna (1988–1991), KK Split (1991–1992), and Baker Livorno (1992–1994). He also played for Olympique Antibes (1994–1997), Cholet Basket (1997–1998), and Montana Forlì (1998–1999). He returned to Livorno (1999–2000) and Antibes (2001). His last team was AC Golfe-Juan-Vallauris in 2002, when he was 47 years old.
While in Europe, Richardson won the FIBA Cup Winners' Cup with Virtus Bologna in 1990. He also won the LNB Pro A championship with Olympique Antibes in 1995.
Coaching Career
Albany Patroons (2004–2007)
In 2004, Richardson became the head coach of the Albany Patroons in the CBA. He had played for the Patroons earlier in his career.
Oklahoma / Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry (2007–2011)
In 2007, Richardson became the head coach of the Oklahoma Cavalry (later Lawton-Ft Sill Cavalry). He led the Cavalry to win three championships in a row from 2008 to 2010.
London Lightning (2011–2014)
In 2011, Richardson was hired as the first head coach of the NBL Canada's London Lightning. He was named Coach of the Month twice. In 2012, he led the Lightning to win the NBL Canada's first championship. The next year, in 2013, he led them to win again, becoming back-to-back 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 friend and former teammate, Otis Birdsong. He worked for a financial company and owned a beauty salon with his wife, Kimberly. His son, Amir Richardson, is a professional soccer player.
A film about his life, Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray?, was released in 2000. It was narrated by Chris Rock.
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.
See also
In Spanish: Micheal Ray Richardson para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career triple-double leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with 9 or more steals in a game
