Former back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk King Jason Richardson has decided to call it quits as far as his basketball career is concerned, citing health reasons for doing so.
Richardson announced his retirement from the game, after spending 13 years in the NBA. He was the 5th overall draft pick of the Golden State Warriors in 2001 and spent his first six years there.
Throughout his career, Richardson made his mark as one of the best dunkers of the game. He proved this when he first won the NBA Slam Dunk trophy in 2002 and then repeat in 2003.
Aside from dunking, Richardson was a known scorer. He also had the ability to hit it from the three-point region which made him pretty unpredictable on the offensive end. But other than his scoring prowess, it was Richardson’s maturity that endeared him to the Warriors at that time.
He was one of the main reasons why the Warriors qualified for the playoffs in 2006, their first in 13 years.
Richardson would eventually be traded in 2007 and head to Charlotte (Bobcats) in a deal involving Brandan Wright. Despite joining a team that was rebuilding at that time, Richardson showcased his scoring talent as he led that Bobcats scoring. He also led the league in three-point field goals made.
His journey to other teams would follow suit after that, having stints with the Phoenix Suns (2008-2010), Orlando Magic (2010-2012) and the Philadelphia 76ers (2012-2015).
Richardson apparently slowed down in Philly when he was forced to undergo surgery on his left knee. After sitting out the entire 2013-14 season, Richardson was simply not the same scoring demon he was after the procedure.
He could have played his 14th season this coming season after signing to play for the Atlanta Hawks. But it seems that his bothersome knees were way to painful to bear and an MRI revealed that the 34-year-old had bone spurs present.
After about a month, Richardson made the hardest decision to be made by an NBA player – that of which was to step away from the game.
It eventually boiled down to a choice between playing ball and his family and health, something which he reasons eased the pain of retiring from professional ball. In parting, Richardson posted this on his Instagram account:
“Today is a bitter sweet moment for me. I'm officially announcing my retirement from pro basketball. I like to thank the organizations and fans in Charlotte, Phoenix, Orlando, Philly and especially The Bay Area for their loyal support the past 14 years. Walking away was the hardest decision I had to make but choosing my health and spending time with my family is more important to me! God bless!” says Jason Richardson via Instagram.
A photo posted by J-Rich (@richboyz23) on Sep 23, 2015 at 6:23pm PDT
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