Four-time NBA All-Star Michael Ray Richardson, best known for his time with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, passed away Tuesday in Lawton, Oklahoma. He was 70. According to his attorney and friend John Zelbst, Richardson died shortly after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“The basketball world and anyone Michael came in contact with lost a great sportsman,” Zelbst told Andscape as per ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.
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“He lived life to the fullest. He overcame the most incredible odds to accomplish what he did in life. He serves as an example on how to redeem yourself and make something of yourself.”
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Nicknamed “Sugar,” Richardson had an eight-year NBA career with the Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and Nets. The 1985 NBA Comeback Player of the Year led the league in steals three times and earned four All-Star selections. His best season came in 1984–85, when he averaged 20.1 points, 8.2 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game for the Nets.
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However, his career took a tragic turn in 1986 after he was banned from the NBA for violating the league’s drug policy for the third time. Richardson later admitted to cocaine use, calling the day he was banned his “darkest day.” “They waited for me in Newark,” he recalled in May. “As soon as I got off the plane, I knew what was going on. After that, I went home and went on a few days’ binge. I got myself into it. I have to get myself out.”
After leaving the NBA, Richardson revived his career overseas and later found success as a coach, guiding multiple teams to championships.
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In 2024, he co-authored a memoir, Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption. Reflecting on turning 70, he said, “I’m still here after all the s— I’ve gone through.”
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