Micheal Ray Richardson

Biography

Michael Ray Richardson (April 11, 1955 – November 11, 2025), known by the nickname "Sugar", was an American professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The fourth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years with the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets. He was a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection who led the league in steals in three seasons. In 1986, Richardson was banned for life by NBA commissioner David Stern after testing positive for cocaine for a third time in three seasons. He was the first active NBA player to be banned by the league. He was reinstated by the NBA in 1988, but decided to continue his career in Europe and never played in the NBA again.

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