Jason Richardson: Former Bobcat Retires at 34
Former Charlotte Bobcat Jason Richardson is calling it a career, retiring from the Atlanta Hawks at age 34. Richardson had just discovered the existence of bone spurs in his knee according to reports from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Despite signing with the Hawks this off-season, Richardson made the decision to walk away while he could still walk.
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Richardson entered the league in 2001 and spent his most memorable years with the Golden State Warriors. It was with the Warriors that he became a dunk contest champion. Richardson also played with the Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, and finally the Philadelphia 76ers.
Richardson was acquired by the Charlotte Bobcats on draft night in 2007. The Bobcats traded first round pick Brandan Wright to the Warriors in order to pair the shooting guard with small forward Gerald Wallace. The alliance of Richardson and Bobcats lasted all of a season, when Richardson became part of the trade (with Jared Dudley) to bring in Boris Diaw and Raja Bell early in the 2008 season.
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In his brief time with the Bobcats, Richardson averaged 21.4 points per game, his best production at any of his stops. He also had his career best 3PT% with a team in Charlotte at 41%. He offered things that the Charlotte teams have always needed, namely shooting from distance. In that way he was a good foil for Gerald Wallace, whose game had not fully developed at that time.
Richardson played six seasons for Golden State at the beginning of his career, but no more than three seasons at any other stop. He had played sparingly for the last two season in Philadelphia, which has been the definition of basketball purgatory for the last few years. Atlanta promised a playoff run for the aging guard, but Richardson did not want to risk his health in the end.