 Richardson with thePhoenix Suns in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1981-01-20)January 20, 1981 (age 45) Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Arthur Hill (Saginaw, Michigan) |
| College | Michigan State (1999–2001) |
| NBA draft | 2001: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Golden State Warriors |
| Playing career | 2001–2015 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 23 |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2007 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2007–2008 | Charlotte Bobcats |
| 2008–2010 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2010–2012 | Orlando Magic |
| 2012–2015 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 14,644 (17.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,245 (5.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,284 (2.7 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Jason Anthoney Richardson Sr. (born January 20, 1981) is an American former professionalbasketball player who played 14 seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Richardson was taken by theGolden State Warriors as the fifth overall pick in the2001 NBA draft after playingcollege basketball for theMichigan State Spartans. Richardson has also played for theCharlotte Bobcats,Phoenix Suns,Orlando Magic, and thePhiladelphia 76ers.
Richardson is often remembered for his proficiency in dunking and shooting. Early in his career, he won theNBA Dunk Contest in both 2002 and 2003, becoming the second player, afterMichael Jordan, 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.[1] Since 2021, Richardson has been an active player forTri-State of theBIG3.
Born inSaginaw, Michigan, Richardson graduated fromArthur Hill High School in 1999. Having led the Arthur Hill basketball team to the Class A championship game, Richardson wasMr. 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 coachTom Izzo.
In hisfreshman season atMichigan State, Richardson averaged 5.1 points per game in 37 games (including three starts) and made 50.3% of attempted field goals. Led byMateen Cleaves andMorris Peterson, the Spartans won theNCAA Championship with Richardson as a key reserve. In a bigger role in hissophomore season at Michigan State, he led the Spartans in scoring averaging 14.7 points per game. Richardson played along future NBA playersZach Randolph andCharlie Bell as the Spartans advanced to theFinal Four before losing toArizona. He was named Big Ten First Team that year.[2]
Richardson graduated from theUniversity of Florida with his Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management in 2025, the school him and Spartans beat for the 2000 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship.[3]
The Warriors drafted Jason Richardson out of Michigan State with the 5th overall pick.
Richardson competed in theRookie 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 offCarlos Boozer's forehead and then made a three-pointer before the clock ran out.[4]
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.[5][6] As the long time captain of the Warriors, Richardson organized a letter of apology to Warrior fans in2005 after the team failed to make the playoffs for the 12th straight season. The letter ran in severalBay Area newspapers. The following year, Richardson helped lead theWarriors to their first playoff trip in 13 years. The Warriors upset the top-seededDallas Mavericks in the first round, but lost in the second round to theUtah Jazz.
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 shootthree-pointers, as well as the longevity and tenor of his tenure with the team.[7] Richardson set the Warrior franchise record for three-pointers made in a game without missing (8) in a home win against thePhoenix Suns.[8] Richardson is especially known for his high-flying abilities and is widely regarded as one of the best dunkers in 2000s.[9][10] He won theNBA Slam Dunk Contests in 2002 and 2003, and also competed in the 2004 contest, but lost toFred Jones in the finals and stopped participating.[11]
On June 28, 2007, Richardson was traded to theCharlotte Bobcats along with the draft rights to 36th pickJermareo Davidson for the draft rights to eighth pickBrandan Wright.
Richardson began to gain attention with the Bobcats when he led the team to a road win against theBoston Celtics after scoring 34 points. This was only the Celtics' fourth loss of the season and second loss at home.[12] 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.[13] The2007–08 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.
On December 10, 2008, Richardson was traded along withJared Dudley, and a 2010 second-round pick to thePhoenix Suns forBoris Diaw,Raja Bell andSean Singletary.[14] The Suns dealt for Richardson, as they were looking for another backcourt scorer to take pressure off ofSteve Nash.[15]
In his first game as a Sun, Richardson scored a game-high 21 points, including an alley-oop fromLeandro Barbosa that brought the crowd to their feet. Hisfirst year in Phoenix resulted in the team missing the playoffs for the first time since2003.
However, in hissecond 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.[16] In the first round of the2010 NBA Playoffs, Richardson led the Suns to a first-round victory over thePortland Trail Blazers,[17] including a career playoff-high 42 points in a Game 3 blowout.[18] In the next round, Richardson helped the Suns to a series sweep against theSan Antonio Spurs, before falling to theLos Angeles Lakers in game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
On December 18, 2010, Richardson was traded to theOrlando Magic along withHedo Türkoğlu andEarl Clark forVince Carter,Marcin Gortat,Mickaël Piétrus, a 2011 first-round draft pick and $3 million cash.[19] In December 2011, Richardson agreed to a four-year, $25 million contract to remain in Orlando.[20] The Magic made the playoffs in Richardson's firstyear with the team, losing in the first round to theAtlanta Hawks.
On August 10, 2012, Richardson was traded to thePhiladelphia 76ers in a four-team deal which sentDwight Howard to theLos Angeles Lakers.[21] 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.[22]
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.[23] Two days later, he returned to action for the 76ers as he started against the Indiana Pacers.[24] In 18 minutes of play, he recorded 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in the 95–106 loss.[25] On March 4, 2015, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 123–118 overtime loss in Oklahoma City to the Thunder.[26]
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.
On August 18, 2015, Richardson signed with theAtlanta Hawks.[27] However, less than a month later, Richardson began experiencing pain in his right knee, and anMRI revealedbone 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.[28]
Richardson is the father of Orlando Magic guardJase Richardson.[29] His younger son, Jaxon, is a consensus five-star recruit for the 2026 class.[citation needed]
Richardson is in the Class of 2025 for theMichigan Sports Hall of Fame and enshrined on December 19, 2025 in Detroit.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Golden State | 80 | 75 | 32.9 | .426 | .333 | .671 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .4 | 14.4 |
| 2002–03 | Golden State | 82 | 82* | 32.9 | .410 | .368 | .764 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 1.1 | .3 | 15.6 |
| 2003–04 | Golden State | 78 | 78 | 37.6 | .438 | .282 | .684 | 6.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | .5 | 18.7 |
| 2004–05 | Golden State | 72 | 72 | 37.8 | .446 | .338 | .693 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 1.5 | .4 | 21.7 |
| 2005–06 | Golden State | 75 | 75 | 38.4 | .446 | .384 | .673 | 5.8 | 3.1 | 1.3 | .5 | 23.2 |
| 2006–07 | Golden State | 51 | 49 | 32.8 | .417 | .365 | .657 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 1.1 | .6 | 16.0 |
| 2007–08 | Charlotte | 82* | 82* | 38.4 | .441 | .406 | .752 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.4 | .7 | 21.8 |
| 2008–09 | Charlotte | 14 | 14 | 35.1 | .441 | .458 | .745 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .2 | 18.7 |
| 2008–09 | Phoenix | 58 | 57 | 33.1 | .488 | .383 | .778 | 4.5 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .4 | 16.4 |
| 2009–10 | Phoenix | 79 | 76 | 31.5 | .474 | .393 | .739 | 5.1 | 1.8 | .8 | .4 | 15.7 |
| 2010–11 | Phoenix | 25 | 25 | 31.8 | .470 | .419 | .764 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .1 | 19.3 |
| 2010–11 | Orlando | 55 | 55 | 34.9 | .433 | .384 | .701 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .2 | 13.9 |
| 2011–12 | Orlando | 54 | 54 | 29.5 | .408 | .368 | .594 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .4 | 11.6 |
| 2012–13 | Philadelphia | 33 | 33 | 28.4 | .402 | .341 | .606 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 1.2 | .5 | 10.5 |
| 2014–15 | Philadelphia | 19 | 15 | 21.9 | .348 | .323 | .773 | 3.5 | 2.0 | .7 | .2 | 9.1 |
| Career | 857 | 842 | 34.1 | .438 | .370 | .707 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .4 | 17.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Golden State | 11 | 11 | 38.9 | .476 | .354 | .704 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .5 | 19.1 |
| 2010 | Phoenix | 16 | 16 | 33.3 | .502 | .475 | .759 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .3 | 19.8 |
| 2011 | Orlando | 5 | 5 | 30.6 | .333 | .320 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .6 | .4 | 10.0 |
| 2012 | Orlando | 5 | 5 | 29.6 | .396 | .370 | .417 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | .4 | 11.4 |
| Career | 37 | 37 | 34.1 | .465 | .404 | .724 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .4 | 17.1 | |
Media related toJason Richardson at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
