A year ago, Jase Richardson was one of the new guys on campus.
The Michigan State freshman guard brought his dad’s well-known name to East Lansing but expectations were tempered.
“Coming into Michigan State, I was doubted,” Richardson recalled. “Some people were asking me if I was redshirting.”
A whirlwind season later, Richardson [was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 25th pick of the first round](https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2025/06/2025-nba-draft-michigan-states-jase-richardson-selected-in-first-round.html) of the NBA draft on Wednesday night. During a video call with media on Friday evening, the 19-year-old hadn’t fully processed the previous 48 hours, including being picked by a team his dad, Jason Richardson, spent two of his 13 seasons in the league.
“I haven’t slept much,” Richardson said. “I’m still just trying to wrap my head around what happened on Wednesday and it still doesn’t feel real.”
Richardson vastly outperformed expectations as a freshman while becoming the best player on a Michigan State team that won the Big Ten by three games before reaching the Elite Eight. As is star rose late in the season, the NBA hype grew and he declared for the draft as the Spartans’ first one-and-done since Max Christie in 2022. The opportunity to remove his name and return to school was there but Richardson made the leap all-in.
After initially being projected as a potential lottery pick, getting measured at 6-foot-0.5 during the draft combine didn’t help (MSU listed him at 6-3) but a 6-6 wingspan also stands out. Richardson wasn’t among the two dozen players invited to the green room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the first round of the draft but remained confident while watching from home in Florida. Tom Izzo made the trip and celebrated with the second Richardson he helped put in the NBA.
“I knew I was going to be in a good position regardless of where I got drafted,” Richardson said. “Just going into that night, I was worried more about the fit rather than the position I was picked and I think this was a really good team for me to be part of. There’s a really good winning culture and we have a lot of great guys.”
Richardson, who didn’t log his first start until February, was fittingly key in the Spartans vastly outperforming preseason expectations. He finished the season second on the team in scoring at 12.1 per game to go with 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Richardson doesn’t have ideal size for a shooting guard but has experience handling the ball and is still developing.
“As of right now, I think the scoring is one thing they really like, 3-point shooting of course,” Richardson said of the Magic. “I think the playmaking, feel for the game, defensive energy and who I am as a person.”
Richardson is now a part of a playoff team with established standouts, including Franz and Moritz Wagner. The Wagner brothers starred at Michigan and beating the Wolverines in the regular-season finale at home before raising a Big Ten title banner at the Breslin Center last season remains Richardson’s top memory with the program.
“In my mind, that was the most important to me, being able to celebrate that championship with my brothers, everything that happened senior night,” Richardson said. “I was so proud of everybody how we handled that game and we were as a team.”
Richardson’s first NBA draft buzz came after a couple standout performances during the Maui Invitation in November. It didn’t seem real at the moment but he did more than enough on the floor to become the second in his family picked in the first round.
“Doubts always going to be there, especially coming into this next level,” Richardson said. “A lot of it’s been a lot of doubt of what I can do but I’m always willing to prove people wrong and show people I deserve to be here.”