Michael Ray Richardson, Knicks All-Star who later was banned from NBA for drug use, dead at 70

Michael “Sugar” Ray Richardson, the talented but troubled former Knick and Net, died on Tuesday at 70, the Knicks announced.

He had been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, Andscape reported.

Richardson’s mercurial ride included becoming the first player banned for life by the NBA in 1986 after multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.

But through it all, he remained a popular and productive player, a four-time NBA All-Star — three times with the Knicks — who thrice led the league in steals.

He later coached in the CBA and in Canada.

The Knicks said in a news release they were “saddened” by the news of his death.

“One of the fiercest defensive players of his era, the four-time NBA All-Star made an incredible impact on the Knicks during his four seasons with the franchise," the team said.

(Richardson went by “Micheal” during his playing career but last year he clarified on his “X” account that the correct and preferred spelling of his first name is “Michael.”)

Hey @espn @SportsCenter I love you!!! But my name is spelled Michael (not Micheal)! Thank you for the love, though! (Same to you @bball_ref 😀) pic.twitter.com/AFD32uIiAY

— Michael Ray Richardson (@MichaelSugarRay) March 19, 2024

The Knicks selected Richardson fourth overall in the 1978 NBA Draft out of Montana, two picks before Boston took Larry Bird even though he planned to return to college for his senior season.

Richardson quickly demonstrated his talent, leading the league in both assists (10.1) and steals (3.2) in his second season.

The Knicks traded him to Golden State in 1982 in a deal that brought Bernard King to New York. Richardson later spent four seasons with the Nets when they were based in New Jersey.

He finished his NBA career averaging 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.6 steals in 556 regular-season games.

The NBA banned him in February 1986 for a third positive test for cocaine use in three seasons.

“My darkest day was when the guy [from the NBA] met me at the airport and told me I was banned from the NBA. I will never forget that day,” Richardson told Andscape in May. “They waited for me in Newark. As soon as I got off the plane, I knew what was going on. After that, I went home and went on a few days binge. And then after that, I came to. I got myself into it. I have to get myself out.”

He played for the Long Island Knights of the USBL in 1986-87 and for a variety of teams in Europe from 1988-2002. Two years after his ban he became eligible for reinstatement to the NBA, but he was content playing in Europe.

Richardson then coached in the CBA in both Albany and Oklahoma and later in Canada through 2014.

Richardson was living in Lawton, Oklahoma, at the time of his death. In recent years he had been working at youth basketball camps for underprivileged children in the summer.

"The NBA mourns the passing of four-time All-Star Michael Ray Richardson," the league said in a statement. "Michael dedicated his post-NBA career to using his life story to teach life skills to young people. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends and fans."

In a 2014 interview with Newsday, Richardson reflected on his past problems with drugs, saying, “I have come to grips with [the fact] you can't worry about what happened 15, 20 years ago; you can only worry about what's ahead.

"That was just something that I went through and it's over . . . I did something I had no business doing.”

He said his drug use covered a relatively brief sliver of his life.

"When I was in college, I didn't drink; when I was in high school, I didn't drink," he told Newsday. "It just happened.

"Being a professional basketball player, when you get to a certain level you figure you're in control of everything, that you can do whatever you want to do, that you're invincible. It's kind of hard. But there's always something a little bit tougher than you, and that was tougher than me."

Richardson said at the time he still got reactions from fans who remember him when he visits New York.

"There's no place like New York," he said. "One thing about the people here in New York, they understand the game of basketball. It's not like playing somewhere else. When you play somewhere else you can kind of hide or get away with not really giving 100%, but in New York City you can't really do that."

Richardson also is remembered for one of the more enduring quotes in New York sports history.

He told Knicks reporters after a Christmas Day 1981 loss to the Nets, "The ship be sinking." When someone followed up by asking how far it might sink, he said, “The sky’s the limit.”

That team finished 33-49 in coach Red Holzman's final season.

Richardson said in 2014 that people still bring that quote up to him.

"All the time," he said, laughing. "And it was a great quote, and plus it was at the right time, because at that time the ship was sinking. We were losing. It was a great quote."