Mitch Richmond
Biography
Mitchell James ("Mitch") Richmond * (born June 30, 1965 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association. Known as "The Rock," "The Captain," and "The Scorelord," Richmond was one of the NBA's best pure shooters in his prime during the 1990s
NBA career
Richmond was drafted 5th overall in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, following two years at Kansas State, where he averaged 20 points per game, and two years at Moberly Junior College in Missouri. Before joining the NBA, Richmond also competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
Richmond captured the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in the 1988-89 NBA season, after averaging 22 points per game for the Warriors. He was a key part of Don Nelson's fast-paced offense, which was dubbed "Run TMC" after the first names of its three main components, Tim Hardaway, Richmond, and Chris Mullin. In addition to the shooting he provided, he complemented Hardaway's passing and fast break skills and Mullin's shooting skills by slashing to the hoop as part of the Warriors attack.
After three years of scoring 22+ points a game in Golden State, Richmond was traded to the Sacramento Kings during the 1991-92 season in exchange for Billy Owens, and became arguably the team's first star since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1991. Staying with the Kings until 1988, Richmond was the team's leading scorer in each of his 7 seasons there, averaging no fewer than 21.9 a game each season. Between 1993 and 1998, Richmond was a fixture on the Western Conference's All-Star team, and he won MVP honors at the All-Star Game in Phoenix, in 1995. In the middle of his prime, Richmond was selected to the United States' Olympic team (Dream Team III), earning a gold medal in Atlanta.
Richmond was traded by the Kings, along with Otis Thorpe, to the Washington Wizards for Chris Webber in May of 1988, a move that keyed the Kings' transformation from perennial doormat to an elite title contender. However, things did not work out as well for Richmond. In three years with the Wizards, he lost a lot of the shooting touch he displayed as a King, and his days as a regular were numbered after missing half of the 2000-01 season.
Richmond ended his career as a Los Angeles Laker. Playing strictly off the bench, he averaged just 4 points a game. He earned an NBA championship ring with the Lakers in 2002, but played sparingly in the postseason, logging just 4 minutes overall. Richmond is now a scout for the Golden State Warriors.
NBA legacy
Richmond is one of only seven players in NBA history to average at least 21 points per game for his first 10 seasons – along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. He was also one of the most accurate long range shooters in league history, making 1,326 3-pointers in his career, which places him 9th all-time in career three-point field goals made.
Richmond is the Kings' franchise's third leading scorer. For his efforts, his #2 was retired by the club in 2003.
Michael Jordan said Richmond was one of the hardest players to defend in the NBA. "There really are no weaknesses in his game," said Jordan. "He can drive to the hoop as well as take the outside jump shot. He reminds me a lot of me in his overall offensive display."
* Text from Wikipedia under the GPL Public License