Jason Richardson

Phoenix Suns  – No. 23
Shooting guard/Small forward
Born	January 20, 1981 (1981-01-20) (age 28) Saginaw, Michigan
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
College	Michigan State
Draft	5th overall, 2001 Golden State Warriors
Pro career	2001–present
Former teams	Golden State Warriors (2001–07) Charlotte Bobcats (2007–08)

Jason Anthoney (J-Rich) Richardson (born January 20, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player with for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association.

A 6'6", 225 lb. shooting guard/small forward, Richardson was taken by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft from Michigan State, earning the NBA Rookie Challenge MVP and All-Rookie Team First Team honors his debut season in the league.

He is regarded as one of the NBA's most demonstrative dunkers, winning the NBA Slam Dunk crown in 2002 and 2003, joining Michael Jordan as the competition's only back-to-back champions.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Golden State Warriors

The Warriors drafted Jason Richardson out of Michigan State University with the 5th overall pick. It was while playing for Michigan State that he and fellow current NBA players Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, and Morris Peterson (and current Melbourne Tiger and NBL first-teamer Dave Thomas) won an NCAA National Championship.

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.^[1]

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.^[2][3] The long time captain of the Warriors, Richardson organized a letter of apology to Warrior fans after the team failed to make the playoffs for the 12th straight season. The letter ran in several Bay Area newspapers. The following year, Richardson helped lead the Warriors to their first playoff game in 13 years. They won in the first round, upsetting the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, but lost in the second round to the Utah Jazz.

Although no longer playing for Golden State, Richardson remains 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.^[4] Richardson set the Warrior franchise record for three-pointers made in a game without missing (8) in a home win against the Phoenix Suns.^[5] Richardson is especially known for his high-flying abilities and is widely regarded as one of the best dunkers in the NBA today.^[6][7] He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contests in 2002 and 2003, joining Michael Jordan as the only players to have won in consecutive years. Richardson competed in the 2004 contest as well but lost to Fred Jones in the finals.

[edit] Charlotte Bobcats

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 after scoring 34 points. This was only the Celtics' fourth loss of the season and second loss at home.^[8] 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.^[9] 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.

[edit] Phoenix Suns

On December 10, 2008, Richardson was traded along with Jared Dudley, and a 2010 second round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary.^[10]

[edit] Legal Problems off the Court

Since being acquired by the Phoenix Suns, Richardson has been involved in two off-court legal issues involving Arizona police agencies:

On December 21, 2008, Richardson was cited for driving while under the influence of alcohol by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Police. Court action on this incident is pending at this time. ^[11]

Richardson was arrested and briefly detained again on February 15, 2009 by Scottsdale, Arizona police after he was observed driving at a high rate of speed. According to police reports, Richardson was clocked doing 90 MPH in at 35 MPH zone. When stopped, it was discovered that the Sun's star had his young son, age 3, in the back seat unrestrained. Richardson was booked by Scottsdale Police for criminal speeding, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment of a child. ^[12]

Following the later incident, Richardson was suspended without pay by the Suns for one game for "Conduct detrimental to the Team". No Court date has been set at this time on these charges.

Then on August 28, 2009 the NBA suspended Richardson for the first two games of the upcoming season due to his DUI arrest.

[edit] Awards and Accomplishments

• NBA Slam Dunk Champion: 2002, 2003
• Rookie Challenge MVP: 2002
• NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2002
• 1999 McDonald's All-American
• 1999 Mr. Basketball of Michigan

[edit] Career transactions

• June 27, 2001: Drafted 5th overall by Golden State Warriors in 2001 NBA Draft.
• June 28, 2007: Traded by Golden State along with draft rights of 36th pick Jermareo Davidson to the Charlotte Bobcats for draft rights of 8th pick Brandan Wright.^[13]
• December 10, 2008: Traded by Charlotte along with Jared Dudley and a future second-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary.^[14]

[edit] NBA career statistics

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jason Richardson Profile at NBA.com
• Jason Richardson's Apology Letter at GSoM
• 2k6-2k7 REPORT CARD: Jason Richardson (GSoM)
• www.jrich23.com Jason Richardson's Official Website