Former NBA All-Star Micheal Ray Richardson Dies at 70
former-nba-all-star-micheal-ray-richardson-dies-at-70
Four-time NBA All-Star Micheal Ray Richardson died Tuesday in Lawton, Oklahoma, at age 70, only weeks after receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis, attorney and longtime friend John Zelbst told Andscape and ESPN.
“The basketball world and anyone Micheal came in contact with lost a great sportsman,” Zelbst said. “He lived life to the fullest.”
Standout College and NBA Career
Known as “Sugar,” Richardson starred at the University of Montana and was selected fourth overall by the New York Knicks in the 1978 NBA Draft. Over eight NBA seasons with the Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets, he earned four All-Star selections and led the league in steals three times.
In 556 regular-season games (358 starts), Richardson averaged 14.8 points, 7.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.6 steals while shooting 45.7 percent from the field. His best season came with the Nets in 1984-85, when he posted 20.1 points, 8.2 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and an NBA-leading 3.0 steals per game, earning the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
Lifetime Ban for Drug Policy Violations
In 1986, Commissioner David Stern banned Richardson for life after his third violation of the NBA’s drug policy, making the Denver native the first active player to receive such a penalty. Richardson later recalled the moment to Andscape, calling it “my darkest day.”
International Play and Coaching Career
Following a brief stint in the Continental Basketball Association, Richardson played professionally in Italy and France, winning the French LNB Pro A title with Olympique Antibes in 1995. He retired in 2002 after a final season with AC Golfe-Juan-Vallauris.
Richardson moved into coaching with the CBA’s Albany Patroons and the Oklahoma/Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry, guiding the Cavalry to back-to-back CBA championships in 2008 and 2009 and a Premier Basketball League title in 2010.
Richardson is survived by his family. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.
Source: Basketball Insiders
