He announced his official retirement Wednesday evening via an Instagram post, in which he individually thanked each of the five franchises he played for during his 14-year career as well as their fanbases. Richardson had just discovered the existence of bone spurs in his knee according to reports from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
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“Today is a bittersweet moment for me”. I’m officially announcing my retirement from pro basketball.
Richardson, 34, felt that while “walking a way was the hardest decision”, he valued his “health and spending time with [his] family”.
For his career, the 6-foot-6 wing player averaged 17.1 points and shot 44% from the field.
Drafted with the 5th overall pick in the 2001 Draft, Jason Richardson stepped in and started 75 games for Golden State. He “still has his whole life in front of [him]” and wants “to be able to play with [his] kids”.
Richardson signed a make-good contract with the Atlanta Hawks during the offseason and felt they offered the best opportunity to win an elusive National Basketball Association title. “God bless!” he wrote.
“The dunk contests are what people know me for”, Richardson said. I play this game for love, nothing else. “I’m a very competitive guy”.
Known for being an electrifying dunker, athletic scorer and efficient three-point shooter, Richardson spent part of three seasons in Phoenix, averaging 16.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on.478/.394/.758 shooting splits in 162 games for the Suns.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was asked about Richardson in a recent interview with the AJC.
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But what I’ll remember most is the big smile on his face in the locker room after playing that night last February. He was expected to compete for the final roster spot in training camp.
