Mitchell James Richmond III (born June 30, 1965) 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. He played collegiately at Moberly Area Community College and

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

. He was a six-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

, a five-time

All-NBA Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

member, and a former

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb T ...

. In 976 NBA games, Richmond averaged 21.0 points per game and 3.5 assists per game. Richmond was voted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2014. His jersey No. 2 was

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

in his honor by the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

, for whom he played seven seasons.

Early life

Mitchell James Richmond III was born on June 30, 1965, in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

. He attended Boyd H. Anderson High School in

Lauderdale Lakes, Florida Lauderdale Lakes is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 35,954. History The city of Lauderdale Lakes was in ...

, where he excelled in

College career

Richmond began his college career playing for the Moberly Area Community College Greyhounds. He scored 1,023 points from 1984 to 1986, before joining the

Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The School colors, official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are gener ...

. One of the most recognizable players in Kansas State history, Mitch Richmond was a two-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

for head coach

Lon Kruger Lonnie Duane Kruger (born August 19, 1952) is an American former college and professional basketball coach (sport), coach who was most recently the men's basketball head coach of the University of Oklahoma. Kruger played college basketball for K ...

from 1986 to 1988. He helped guide the Wildcats to a 45–20 (.692) record, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the 1988 NCAA Midwest Regional Final. His 1,327 points are the most by a player in a two-year career.

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (1988–1991)

Richmond was drafted 5th overall in the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

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 ...

, following two years at Kansas State, where he averaged 20 points per game, and two years at Moberly Area Community College. Richmond captured the

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Tr ...

in the 1988–89 season, after averaging 22 points per game for the Warriors. He was a key part of

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

's fast-paced offense, focusing on Richmond and teammates

Tim Hardaway Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. (born September 1, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets a ...

and

Chris Mullin Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player, executive and coach. He is a five time NBA All-Star and four time All-NBA Team member. He is also two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time ...

which was dubbed " Run TMC" (the initials of the players' first names and a play on the name of the popular rap group

Run-DMC Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the mos ...

). In addition to the shooting he provided, he complemented Hardaway's passing and fast break skills and Mullin's shooting skills by slashing to the hoop as part of the Warriors' attack.

Sacramento Kings (1991–1998)

After three years of scoring 22-plus points a game in Golden State, Richmond, on November 1, 1991, was traded (along with Les Jepsen) to the

during the 1991–92 season in exchange for the rights to

Billy Owens Billy Eugene Owens (born May 1, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Syracuse, where he was an All-American and th ...

, and became arguably the team's first star since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985. Staying with the Kings until 1998, Richmond was the team's leading scorer in each of his seven seasons there, averaging no fewer than 21.9 points a game each season. Between 1993 and 1998, Richmond was a fixture on the Western Conference's

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

team, and he won MVP honors at the All-Star Game in Phoenix, in 1995. In the middle of his prime, Richmond was selected to the United States' Olympic team ( Dream Team III), earning a gold medal in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. During his prime, Richmond was recognized as one of basketball's all-time best pure shooters.

Washington Wizards (1998–2001)

Richmond was traded by the Kings, along with Otis Thorpe, to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

for

Chris Webber Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...

in May 1998, a move that keyed the Kings' transformation from perennial doormat to an elite title contender. However, things did not work out as well for Richmond. In three years with the Wizards, he lost a lot of the shooting touch he displayed as a King, and his days as a regular were numbered after missing half of the 2000–01 season. Richmond's departure from Washington coincided with the Wizards signing Richmond's perennial rival at the shooting guard position,

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 ...

Los Angeles Lakers (2001–2002)

Richmond signed as a free agent with 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 ...

, where he played the final year of his career. Playing strictly off the bench, he averaged 4 points a game. He earned an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

ring with the Lakers in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

but played sparingly in the postseason, logging 4 minutes overall. In game 4 of the finals, just seconds after making the last basket of his career, Richmond dribbled out the clock to win the title with the Lakers.

National team career

Before coming to the NBA, he played for the U.S. national team at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea, winning the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

. He became a member of the team again at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, U.S. and won the gold medal along with David Robinson, who was also on the U.S. men's national basketball team in 1988. In August 2010, Richmond played in the NBA Asia Challenge 2010 at

Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose arena, sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Quezon City#Cubao, Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, an exhibition game which pitted NBA legends and

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

players against

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

stars and legends.

Personal life

Mitch Richmond is the cousin of NFL defensive back Lardarius Webb. Richmond and his wife Julie have three sons, Phillip, Jerin, and Shane Richmond, and he has a daughter, Tearra Gates, with Teala Jones. Shane died at age 20 in 2019 with no cause disclosed. Phillip played basketball as a walk-on for the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

from 2014 to 2016.

Halls of Fame

Richmond was elected to the

in 2014, and inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1988–89 , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 79 , , 79 , , 34.4 , , .468 , , .367 , , .810 , , 5.9 , , 4.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 22.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1989–90 , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 78 , , 78 , , 35.9 , , .497 , , .358 , , .866 , , 4.6 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 22.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990–91 , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 77 , , 77 , , 39.3 , , .494 , , .348 , , .847 , , 5.9 , , 3.1 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 23.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 80 , , 80 , , 38.7 , , .468 , , .384 , , .813 , , 4.0 , , 5.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 22.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 , style="text-align:left;",

, 45 , , 45 , , 38.4 , , .474 , , .369 , , .845 , , 3.4 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 21.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993–94 , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 78 , , 37.1 , , .445 , , .407 , , .834 , , 3.7 , , 4.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 23.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1994–95 , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 38.7 , , .446 , , .368 , , .843 , , 4.4 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 22.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 36.4 , , .447 , , .437 , , .866 , , 3.3 , , 3.1 , , 1.5 , , 0.2 , , 23.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 38.6 , , .454 , , .428 , , .861 , , 3.9 , , 4.2 , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , 25.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 70 , , 36.7 , , .445 , , .389 , , .864 , , 3.3 , , 4.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 23.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1998–99 , style="text-align:left;", Washington , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , 38.2 , , .412 , , .317 , , .857 , , 3.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 19.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1999–00 , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 74 , , 69 , , 32.4 , , .426 , , .386 , , .876 , , 2.9 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.2 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2000–01 , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 37 , , 30 , , 32.9 , , .407 , , .338 , , .894 , , 2.9 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 64 , , 2 , , 11.1 , , .405 , , .290 , , .955 , , 1.5 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 976 , , 902 , , 35.2 , , .455 , , .388 , , .850 , , 3.9 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 21.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 5 , , 1 , , 22.0 , , .439 , , .500 , , .500 , , 2.4 , , 2.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 11.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 8 , , 8 , , 39.3 , , .459 , , .188 , , .895 , , 7.3 , , 4.4 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 20.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 9 , , 9 , , 41.3 , , .503 , , .333 , , .958 , , 5.2 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .7 , , 22.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 36.5 , , .444 , , .348 , , .800 , , 4.3 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .0 , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .500 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 23 , , 21 , , 36.3 , , .479 , , .302 , , .869 , , 5.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 19.5

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Mitch 1965 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Florida Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Boyd H. Anderson High School alumni FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States Golden State Warriors draft picks Golden State Warriors players Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Moberly Greyhounds men's basketball players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars NBA players with retired numbers Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in basketball Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players Summer World University Games medalists in basketball United States men's national basketball team players Washington Wizards players