Fansided

Jason Richardson retires from the NBA

By Bryan Arnott

Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jason Richardson (23) shoots foul shots against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Wizards won 119-90. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jason Richardson (23) shoots foul shots against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Wizards won 119-90. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Longtime NBA veteran Jason Richardson retired from the NBA after a 14-year career.

14-year NBA veteran Jason Richardson announced his retirement from the NBA last night. Richardson recently signed with the Atlanta Hawks in August, but after an MRI revealed bone spurs in his right knee he decided to hang up his shoes.

Drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 draft, Richardson played in the Bay Area for six years before beginning the latter half of his career as a journeyman where he saw action on the Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and, most recently, the Philadelphia 76ers. In his best season on the Warriors he averaged 23.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.1 apg in 38.4 mpg.

Richardson is one of three NBA players to win back-to-back NBA Dunk Competitions, and did so in 2002-2003. While his electrifying play gave him his rise in status, this dunk he threw down in the 2003 competition certainly didn’t hurt.

Richardson was a key cog in the Bay area basketball revival. In 2007, he was on the team, with Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, that went to the slaughterhouse against the 67-win Mavericks and reversed their fortune. The Warriors took the first game on the road in the 1-seed vs. 8-seed match up and went undefeated at home in the series to win 4-2 and pull off one of the biggest upsets in playoff history. Their playoff appearance gave meteoric rise to their fandom, making Oracle Arena almost unplayable for the Mavericks in those playoffs. Richardson was traded in ’07 to the Bobcats in an unsuccessful effort to bring Kevin Garnett to the team.

Richardson spent the last two injury riddled years of his career on the 76ers playing just 52 games in two seasons. Every NBA player’s body and skills decline in the last stretch of their career, but Richardson should be remembered for the rim rattling, get-out-of-your-seat dunks that he threw down every night for the Warriors in his prime.

More from NBA

Home/NBA