Micheal Ray "Sugar" Richardson (born April 11, 1955) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former professional
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and currently the head coach of the
London LightningThe London Lightning is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada set to begin play for the 2011-12 season. Based in London, Ontario, the Lightning will play its home games at the John Labatt Centre....
of the
National Basketball League of CanadaThe National Basketball League of Canada is a Canadian professional men's basketball league founded in 2011. For the first season, three teams formerly of the Premier Basketball League have joined, with four expansion teams officially joining to form the NBL's "Original Seven".-Current:These are...
. Richardson played
college basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
for the
Montana GrizzliesThe University of Montana ‒ Missoula is a public research university located in Missoula, Montana, in the United States. Founded in 1893, the university is the flagship campus of the four-campus University of Montana System and is its largest institution...
. He played in the NBA for eight years, most notably for the
New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and
New Jersey NetsThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
NBA career
Richardson was born in
Lubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. The
New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
drafted him with the fourth pick overall in the
1978 NBA DraftThe 1978 NBA Draft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 9, 1978, before the 1978–79 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
, and he was billed as "the next
Walt FrazierWalter "Clyde" Frazier is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He was blessed with a unique combination of court vision, quickness, and size for a guard...
." Two picks later, the
Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
drafted
Larry BirdLarry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
. In his second year, Richardson became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both assists (10.1) and steals (3.2), setting Knicks franchise records in both categories.
At the beginning of the 1982-83 season, he was sent to the
Golden State WarriorsThe Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
as compensation for the
New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
signing
Bernard KingBernard King is a retired American professional basketball player at the small forward position in the NBA...
as a free agent. After playing only 33 games for the Warriors, Richardson was traded to the
New Jersey NetsThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. He would be named an all-star as a Net, playing on the Eastern Conference all-star team that allegedly froze out
Michael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
. In the 1984 playoffs, Richardson led the Nets to a shocking upset of the defending champion
Philadelphia 76ersThe Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
. In the fifth and deciding game, he scored 24 points and had six steals. While the Knicks showed mild improvement after trading Richardson, that improvement was short-lived, ending when King was felled by a devastating knee injury midway through the 1984-85 season.
In 1986, NBA commissioner
David SternDavid Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
banned Richardson for life after Richardson violated the league's drug policy three times. Richardson's right to play in the NBA was restored in 1988, but he failed two cocaine tests in 1991, though he disputed the results.
He bitterly complained that the suspensions he received from the NBA were unfair given the fact that
Chris MullinChristopher Paul Mullin is a retired American basketball player and former general manager of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He has also been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame....
was never disciplined by the league for his well-documented
alcoholAlcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
problem, implying that this "double standard" existed because Richardson is African-American while Mullin is white, and became a frequently cited example of destructive lifestyles in the NBA. He was the subject of the 2000 film
Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray?Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray? is an American documentary produced in 2000 by NBA Entertainment about the rise and fall of All-Star point guard Micheal Ray Richardson. The film was written by Larry Weitzman and co-directed by Weltzman and Jim Podhoretz...
, a look at his troubled life. It was narrated by
Chris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
.
CBA & Europe career
Richardson went on to play a few seasons in the
Continental Basketball AssociationThe Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
and
United States Basketball LeagueThe United States Basketball League , often abbreviated to the USBL, was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985. The final champions are the Kansas Cagerz, who won the title game on July 1, 2007.-History:...
as well as 14 seasons in Europe. There, he signed with
Virtus Bologna-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
, a prominent European team, in 1988 and remained 3 seasons. With the
Virtus Bologna-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
he won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. In Italy, he stayed 2 seasons (1992–1993 and following) in
Baker LivornoLibertas Livorno is an Italian professional basketball team from the town of Livorno.It was established in 1947. In 1991 it has merged with another team from Livorno, Pallacanestro Livorno . In 1994 the team has gone bankrupt and is currently playing in Serie C Dilettanti...
and 1 (1998–1999) in
Montana ForlìFulgor Libertas Forlì is an Italian professional basketball team that is based in Forlì, Italy. The club is now competing in the second-highest Italian professional basketball division, Legadue.-History:...
. He also won the French championship with
Olympique AntibesOlympique Antibes Juan-les-Pins Côte d'Azur, or OAJLP, is a basketball club from the city of Antibes, France. The club's men's senior team currently plays in Pro B, the French second division.-History:...
in 1995.
Coaching in the CBA
On December 14, 2004, he was named head coach of the
Albany PatroonsThe Albany Patroons were a professional basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association ....
in the
Continental Basketball AssociationThe Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
. This is Richardson's second stint with the Patroons; he played for the team during the 1987-88 season, in which Albany won its second CBA championship.
2007 suspension
On March 28, 2007, he was suspended for the rest of the CBA championship series for his comments in an interview with the
Albany Times Union newspaper, in which he stated that
JewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
were "crafty (because) they are hated worldwide."
Specifically, it was reported by the Times Union that before a game against the Yakama Sun Kings, Richardson made anti-Semitic comments to two reporters in his office when discussing the contract general manager Jim Coyne had offered him to coach his team in the CBA and USBL. "I've got big-time lawyers," Richardson said. "I've got big-time Jew lawyers."
When told by the reporters that the comment could be offensive to people because it plays to the stereotype that Jews are crafty and shrewd, he responded with:
"Are you kidding me? They are. They've got the best security system in the world. Have you ever been to an airport in Tel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
? They're real crafty. Listen, they are hated all over the world, so they've got to be crafty. They got a lot of power in this world, you know what I mean? Which I think is great. I don't think there's nothing wrong with it. If you look in most professional sports, they're run by Jewish people. If you look at a lot of most successful corporations and stuff, more businesses, they're run by Jewish [sic]. It's not a knock, but they are some crafty people."
The paper also reported that he fired expletives at a heckler, using profanity and an anti-gay slur, at Game 1 of the championship series.
Patroons owner Ben Fernandez denounced Richardson's comments. During his suspension, the league is investigating the allegations against Richardson. "We will not tolerate - and the league will not tolerate - bigots," Fernandez said. Richardson will not be allowed to watch the team practice or be present at any of the games.
Some sportswriters have come to Richardson's defense, in the wake of the incident. Peter Vecsey questioned the Times Union's motives in not releasing the audio recording of their exchange with Richardson. Vecsey noted that during the course of his professional dealings with Richardson, he found the player to be "so unsettled, so unsophisticated and so pliable anybody could draw him into saying anything about anything at any time". He also pointed out that Richardson's second wife was Jewish, as was their daughter, Tamara, something that would be unlikely for a true anti-Semite. Christopher Isenberg, a Jewish writer who had earlier profiled Richardson for the Village Voice also defended Richardson's remarks about Jews, stating in a blog post entitled "Jews for Micheal Ray",
"Micheal Ray is proud to have a Jewish lawyer because he thinks they are the best lawyers. Certainly it’s a stereotype, but it’s a stereotype rooted in a reality. A disproportionate number of the great lawyers in America are Jews. A disproportionate number of the great basketball players in America are black. We have learned to be very careful around these facts because here the line between fact and "stereotype" can get very blurry and if you're not careful, you can get into deep water real quick. Micheal Ray was unwise to have been so indiscreet around reporters, but it wasn't exactly Elders of Zion territory."
NBA commissioner
David SternDavid Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
also voiced support for Richardson. While conceding that the remarks about homosexuals were "inappropriate and insensitive" and worthy of a suspension, Stern also said, "I have no doubt that Micheal Ray is not anti-Semitic. I know that he's not...He may have exercised very poor judgment, but that does not reflect Micheal Ray Richardson's feelings about Jews."
Zev Chafets, author of
A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists and One Man's Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance, wrote in the
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
that Richardson's comments, while perhaps stereotypical, were not anti-semitic. After discussing Richardson's claim that Jews are "crafty," Chafets stated,
What other hurtful things did Richardson supposedly say? That Israel has the best airport security in the world? This is both true and something Israel itself brags about. That Jews are hated and need to protect themselves? That's the founding premise of the Anti-Defamation League itself.... Richardson, who was a popular player in Israel during his NBA exile years, is guilty of nothing more than free speech. Even if his observations were wrong — which they are not — there's nothing at all insulting about them. What is insulting is the notion that you can't speak honestly about Jews without getting into trouble.
Oklahoma Cavalry
On May 24, 2007, he was named head coach of the reincarnated Oklahoma Cavalry of the
Continental Basketball AssociationThe Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
.
On December 16, 2007 he was fired by the Cavalry.
Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry
Richardson later coached for Lawton-Ft Sill Cavalry located in Lawton, Oklahoma, and he led his team to victory to the CBA Finals in 2008 and 2009 and in the PBL Finals in 2010.
Richardson was ejected from the first game of the 2010 Premiere Basketball League Championship Series. The game took place at the Blue Cross Arena on April 22, 2010, in Rochester NY. Richardson had been given several warnings and a technical foul for berating and arguing with referees in the game against two-time PBL Champion Rochester RazorSharks. The ejection took place with under 3 seconds remaining in the game that was eventually won by Rochester in overtime by a tally of 110-106. The ejection led to a skirmish between fans and several Lawton-Fort Sill players which ended the game with 2.6 seconds to go on the clock and Rochester about to go to the free throw line.
London Lightning
On August 17, 2011, Richardson was announced as the first head coach of the
National Basketball League of CanadaThe National Basketball League of Canada is a Canadian professional men's basketball league founded in 2011. For the first season, three teams formerly of the Premier Basketball League have joined, with four expansion teams officially joining to form the NBL's "Original Seven".-Current:These are...
's
London LightningThe London Lightning is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada set to begin play for the 2011-12 season. Based in London, Ontario, the Lightning will play its home games at the John Labatt Centre....
See also
External links