From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Australian athlete and radio presenter, see Jason A. Richardson.

Jason Richardson

Position	Shooting guard
Nickname	J-Rich
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Team	Golden State Warriors
Nationality	United States
Born	January 20, 1981 (age 26) Saginaw, Michigan
Draft	5th overall, 2001 Golden State Warriors
Pro career	2001–present
Awards	2002 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner 2003 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner

Jason Anthoney "J-Rich" Richardson (born January 20, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan) is a professional basketball player, currently playing shooting guard for the National Basketball Association's Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors drafted him with the 5th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft out of Michigan State University. It was while playing with Michigan State that he and fellow current NBA players Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, and Morris Peterson (and current Melbourne Tiger and NBL 1st-Teamer Dave Thomas) won an NCAA National Championship.

Richardson (along with Michael Jordan) is one of two players to have won consecutive NBA Slam Dunk Contests. In the 2003 competition, he mesmerized the basketball world with a backward, between-the-legs, one-handed dunk. In recent years, he has developed a nice mid-range shot, and is becoming very good at hitting the three pointer. Still, his greatest asset is his explosive ability to drive to the basket and finish. He and Baron Davis are the Warriors' star players, and get along well on and off the court.

Richardson is no longer known as just a dunker. Over the past few seasons in the NBA, he has improved his all-around game to match his exceptional athleticism. His scoring average has steadily increased every year since his rookie year and in 2005-06 his 23.2 PPG was good for 13th in the league. Despite his improvements, Richardson still struggles from the free throw line. He has shot under 70% from the line for his career, and his 2005-06 mark of 67.3% was his lowest since his rookie season. His poor FT% is made worse by the fact that he was third among shooting guards in free throw attempts in 2005-06.

One of his most memorable moments occurred on March 23, 2006 against the Dallas Mavericks. With 4.7 seconds left in the game and the Warriors down 2; Richardson grabbed a missed Jason Terry free throw, drove down the court, made a quick spin move, jumped and leaned in to hit a game winning three-pointer as time expired. Teammate Baron Davis accomplished a similar feat in a meeting with the Mavericks earlier that season. This moment grabbed the number one spot on NBA.com's Top 10 Best Buzzer Beaters of 2006.

After the Warriors failed to make the NBA playoffs for the 12th straight season, Jason Richardson organized a letter of apology to Warrior fans that ran in several Bay Area newspapers. Richardson remains one of the most popular players among Warrior fans.

After Don Nelson took over the team, Richardson was named captain, along with Baron Davis and the since departed Mike Dunleavy, Jr..

On March 29, 2007, Richardson set the Warrior franchise record for three-pointers in a game (8) in a home win vs the Phoenix Suns.

• Jason Richardson Profile at NBA.com
• Jason Richardson's Apology Letter at GSoM