Former NBA swingman Josh Richardson, who played in the league from 2015-25, has announced his retirement from basketball, making his decision official in a post on Instagram.
“I always gave my best, that’s why I can say this with no regret,” Richardson wrote. “I am grateful to have been able to love this game and (for) it (to) love me back as much as it did. It wasn’t set up for me at any point in my career, and from high school, college, and the pros, I humbly worked my butt off every day (to) be the best that i could be. All my fans, coaches and teammates, I hope I left a good impression and a positive view of me.”
Richardson, who will turn 33 this September, wasn’t a particularly sought-after recruit out of high school, but he emerged as an impact player over the course of his four-year college career at Tennessee, earning a spot on the All-SEC first team as a senior in 2015 and making the conference’s All-Defensive team in both 2014 and 2015.
The 40th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Richardson spent his first four NBA seasons in Miami and was a full-time starter during his third and fourth seasons with the Heat. He had a career year in 2018/19, averaging 16.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in 73 regular season outings.
Richardson was dealt to Philadelphia in the four-team 2019 blockbuster that sent Jimmy Butler to Miami via sign-and-trade, then was traded again in 2020 (to Dallas), 2021 (to Boston), 2022 (to San Antonio), and 2023 (to New Orleans).
The 6’5″ guard/forward eventually made his way back to the Heat as a free agent in 2023 and played a reserve role for the club over the next season-and-a-half before being dealt to Utah at the 2025 trade deadline. He was subsequently waived by the Jazz and was a free agent until he spent a few weeks with Basket Zaragoza in Spain in early 2026.
Over the course of 10 seasons in the NBA, Richardson averaged 11.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.6 APG in 554 regular season games (28.5 MPG) for six teams, with a shooting line of .428/.363/.846. He also appeared in 30 total playoff contests for the Heat, Sixers, and Mavericks.
A number of Richardson’s former NBA teammates, including Dwyane Wade, Bam Adebayo, Tobias Harris, and Udonis Haslem, commented on his Instagram post to wish him well as he enters retirement.
“The coolest,” Wade wrote. “I loved going into the trenches with you, young fella.”