We’re saddened to hear of the passing of former Nets All-Star, Michael Ray Richardson. The Nets family sends their deepest condolences to the Richardson family today. pic.twitter.com/XLUSss2yjR

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 11, 2025

The Brooklyn Nets have seen some great players come through the organization and that’s also true during the days that the franchise was in New Jersey. Some of the greatest players in the history of the Nets played for the franchise during its days in New Jersey, including one player who passed away on Tuesday at 70 years old after a battle with prostate cancer.

Former Nets guard Micheal Ray Richardson passed away on Tuesday and the NBA, Nets, and New York Knicks gave their respects to Richardson and his family on social media. Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft out of the university of Montana by the Knicks, played in the league until 1986, his last season with New Jersey.

Richardson is most likely known by NBA fans for his time with the Knicks as he earned three of his four All-Star appearances during his time in New York in the first half of the 1980’s. The Knicks traded Richardson to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward Bernard King prior to the beginning of the 1982-83 season and he spent 33 games with the clubs before being traded to the Nets for guard Sleepy Floyd and forward Mickey Johnson.

Richardson spent the next three seasons in New Jersey and made the All-Star team for the fourth and final time in his career during the 1984-85 campaign, when he averaged 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. Richardson looked to be one of the building blocks for a Nets team that also had forward Buck Williams and guard Otis Birdsong on the roster.

Unfortunately, following the conclusion of the 1985-86 season, Richardson was banned from the NBA by commissioner David Stern for testing positive for cocaine for the third time in three seasons. The ban, which was originally supposed to be for life, was lifted in 1988, but Richardson chose to continue his professional basketball careers in other leagues domestic and abroad.

One of the interesting parts of Richardson’s life is that he changed the spelling of his first name from Michael to Micheal in 1983, five years into his NBA career. Ultimately, Richardson left the NBA under circumstances not related to his play, but he left his mark on the league as one of the best defensive guards that the Association has ever seen.