Jason Anthoney Richardson Sr. (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 (appro ...

player who played 14 seasons in the

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

(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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

as the fifth overall pick in the

2001 NBA draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001, in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizar ...

after playing

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...

. Richardson has also played for the Charlotte Bobcats,

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

, and the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. Richardson is often remembered for his proficiency in dunking and shooting. Early in his career, 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, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

, to win the competition in consecutive years. Later, he became a more proficient shooter, leading the league in three-pointers made from the 2007-08 to 2011-12 seasons, with 820. Since 2021, Richardson has been an active player for Tri-State of the

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3x3 basketball, 3-on-3 basketball league founded by the hip-hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former National Basketb ...

Early life and college

Born in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

, Richardson graduated from Arthur Hill High School 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 Thomas Michael Izzo (, ; born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has le ...

. In his freshman season at

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

, 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 and Morris Peterson, 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 Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball, Michigan State Spartans bef ...

and Charlie Bell as the Spartans advanced to the

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

before losing to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. 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 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'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 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

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, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

newspapers. The following year, Richardson helped lead the

Warriors A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. 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. The contest was conceived of and started by the American Basketball Associat ...

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 Charlotte Bobcats along with the draft rights to 36th pick Jermareo Davidson for the draft rights to eighth pick Brandan Wright. 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

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, and a 2010 second-round pick to the

for

Boris Diaw Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born 16 April 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 lea ...

, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary. 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 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

. 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 The 2010 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2009-10 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Cel ...

, 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 Northwest Division (N ...

, 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

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 played for 22 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, b ...

, Marcin Gortat, 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

Philadelphia 76ers (2012–2015)

On August 10, 2012, Richardson was traded to the

in a four-team deal which sent Dwight Howard 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 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

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.

Personal life

Richardson is the father of Michigan State Spartans guard Jase Richardson. His younger son, Jaxon, is a consensus five-star recruit for the 2026 class.

Awards and accomplishments

NBA

* NBA

Slam Dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as a 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 on ...

Champion: 2002, 2003 * Rookie Challenge 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 play ...

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

College

* NCAA champion:

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

* Consensus second team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

* All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

First Team: 2001

High school

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

: 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 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 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 , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 38.4 , , .441 , , .406 , , .752 , , 5.4 , , 3.1 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 21.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 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 commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, align="left" ,

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

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, 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 sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players 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 Basketball players from Saginaw, Michigan