NBA veteran Jason Richardson officially announced his retirement yesterday via Instagram. He wrote this as the caption:
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!
Richardson signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Hawks in August. He was expected to compete with players like Lamar Patterson and Terran Petteway for the Atlanta’s final roster spot.
Richardson spent 14 years around the NBA after being drafted with the number 5 overall pick in the 2001 draft by the Warriors. He electrified crowds with his athleticism and rim-rattling jams. He won the slam-dunk contest in consecutive seasons in 2002 and 2003. Throughout the majority of his career, Richardson was a consistent 20 point a game scorer. However, injuries derailed the latter years of his career. He has only managed to play in 52 games in the past three seasons combined.
Richardson had a brilliant career, and it is unfortunate he could not end it making history with the Hawks this season.