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Micheal Ray Richardson, Four-Time NBA All-Star, Dies at 70 in Oklahoma

The death was confirmed to Andscape by his attorney John Zelbst following a recent prostate cancer diagnosis.

Overview

  • Richardson was a four-time All-Star, the 1985 Comeback Player of the Year, and a three-time steals leader with career averages of 14.8 points, 7.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.6 steals.
  • The New York Knicks selected him fourth overall in the 1978 draft after a standout career at the University of Montana, and he later played for the Warriors and Nets.
  • In February 1986 he received a lifetime ban after a third violation of the NBA’s drug policy under Commissioner David Stern, then was reinstated in 1988 but did not return to the league.
  • He resumed his career with a brief CBA stint before starring primarily in Italy and France, retiring from professional play in 2002.
  • Post-retirement he coached in the CBA, PBL, and NBL Canada, led Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry to consecutive titles, ran youth camps, and published a 2024 memoir about his redemption.