Synopsis
Michael Ray Richardson was a star in the making. After a stellar collegiate career at the University of Montana, where he was voted first team All-Big Sky Conference as a sophomore, junior, and senior, the future seemed bright. Taken fourth overall in the 1978 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, Richardson was billed as “the next Walt Frazier.”
In just his second professional season, he became the third player in NBA history to lead the league in both assists and steals—both Knicks team records. Richardson would also notch four All-Star appearances and twice being named to the All-Defensive team over eight seasons between the Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets.
But during that time, his time off the court was having a bigger impact on his career than what he was doing on the court.
On February 25, 1986, after three violations of the league’s drug policy, NBA commissioner David Stern would ban Richardson from continuing his professional career. His struggles with drugs and alcohol were well documented, and someone considered the next big thing became the first player in league history to be receive a lifetime ban.
For most people, this would be the end to their story—one in which their substance abuse would take over and their downfall inevitable.
However, that was not in the cards for Michael Ray Richardson.
In Banned, Richardson opens up about his life both on and off the basketball court, discussing all the highs and lows that made him both a hero and a villain. Though being reinstated to the NBA in 1988, he would instead have stints in the United States Basketball League and CBA before taking his talents to Europe. With stints in Italy, Croatia, and France, he would lead his teams to numerous championships in his decade-plus overseas.
Now back in the states and running youth basketball clinics, Banned is Richardson’s first opportunity to open up about his life, showing that though you may get knocked down—even from self-inflicted actions—the only person that can count you out is yourself. With forewords from Hall of Famers George “The Iceman” Gervin and Nancy Lieberman, this is the story of the Michael Ray Richardson as only he can tell it.
About the Author
Michael "Sugar" Ray Richardson is a former NBA player for the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets. A former All-Star, he is (in)famously known as being the first basketball player to be banned for life from the league for numerous substance abuse violations. Though he was reinstated two years later, Richardson would go on to have a stellar career overseas, playing in such countries as Italy, Croatia, and France. Currently residing in Oklahoma, Richardson now hosts youth basketball programs with former teammate and longtime friend Otis Birdsong.
Jake Uitti's work has appeared in Vanity Fair, the Guardian, Interview, the Nation, the Athletic, and numerous other publications. A Seattle-based writer, Jake has loved and followed the NBA since the early 1990s. Once humorously dubbed "the best under six-foot center in the country," his playing career didn't last past his high school days, but that's when writing took over. The co-author of Muggsy and Earl the Twirl, Banned is his third NBA memoir. Uitti resides in Seattle, Washington, with his beautiful and brilliant wife Eva.
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