Jason Richardson has an answer.
When Altitude Sports announced its revamped Nuggets broadcast team earlier in the week, some questioned Richardson’s inclusion. It’s quite common for regional networks to employ a former player to provide their hard-earned perspective, but most played for the team on which they now analyze. Former color commentator Scott Hastings finished his playing career in Denver. Studio analyst Bill Hanzlik played for the Nuggets for most of the 1980s and spent one infamous season as the team’s coach.
Richardson, a 2002 All-Rookie selection and two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, did a lot in his 14-year NBA career, but he never played for the Nuggets.
“A lot of people are questioning my ties to Denver,” Richardson told The Denver Gazette on Saturday.
What people may not know is the 45-year-old’s connection to the Mile High City goes back decades. The Saginaw, Mich. native started spending his off-seasons in Colorado when he began dating Jackie Paul, a former standout athlete at Boulder High School who went on to play at UCCS.
“Even though I didn’t become a resident, I always came out here, because we dated since I’ve been in the NBA,” Richardson said. “It was always great to come out here to train, be prepared for the season. I’ve been coming to Colorado since about 2002 or 2003.”
The two eventually married and started a family. Once Richardson’s playing career — which started in Golden State in 2001, continued in Charlotte, Phoenix and Orlando and concluded in Philadelphia — ended in 2015, they really started to call Denver home.
“A lot of people don’t know my daughter graduated from Cherry Creek High (School),” Richardson said. “My two sons, they went to Colorado Academy until the eighth grade. In their bios, they call Denver their home. I had a nephew that lived with me; he graduated from Valor (Christian).”
Charlotte Bobcats guard Jason Richardson, left, drives past Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby, right, during an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Altitude Sports’ decision to go in a different direction with the broadcast team came at a perfect time for Richardson.
After spending so much time away from his family during his playing career, he vowed to give that time back in retirement. The Richardsons traded life in Denver for Las Vegas and Miami, so their sons Jase and Jaxon had the best opportunities to chase their own hoop dreams.
The moves paid off.
Jase is heading into his second season with the Magic after following in his father’s footsteps at Michigan State. It turned out Orlando selected him with the first-round pick Denver included in the Aaron Gordon trade.
Jaxon, a five-star prospect in the 2026 class who just enrolled at the University of Alabama, was the last kid out of the house after starring at Florida’s Southeastern Prep.
“Now, that we’re empty nesters, we decided to come back to Denver, because all of our lifelong family and friends are here,” Richardson said. “Denver was home for us.”
Richardson credited Vic Lombardi, who hosts a morning radio show for Altitude and contributes to the Nuggets broadcast in multiple capacities, with an assist. Lombardi let the bosses at Altitude know Richardson was back to being a local.
“We met Jason months ago for coffee, and within five minutes I was asking myself, ‘How has he not been snatched up by anyone?’ He’s got 14 years of NBA experience, knowledge, charisma,” Altitude TV general manager Matt Krol said in a statement to The Denver Gazette.
“It’s everything you want in an analyst.”
Phoenix Suns guard Jason Richardson, left, and Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups, right, battle for a loose ball in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 23, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)
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What Richardson doesn’t have is an abundance of experience in broadcasting.
There were times he was a part of pregame and postgame coverage for Warriors games and a few fill-in spots as Golden State’s play-by-play guy, but Altitude will be his first full-time gig in the industry. The plan, Krol said, is for Richardson to be the lead studio analyst for most games and serve as a third analyst alongside Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Katy Winge (color commentary) for 15 to 20 games. The team is tasked with replacing a well-liked crew featuring Hastings, Chris Marlowe on play-by-play and Chris Dempsey in the studio.
To ease the transition, Richardson said he’s going to lean on his new team. He’s known Lombardi for a long time. Winge, Reed and Lauren Gardner, a Denver native who previously worked for Altitude before going national, also have plenty of experience in the world of professional television.
“I’m going to be relying on those vets,” Richardson said.
“I’m the rookie and the new guy coming in. I have to learn my stuff to earn my keep.”
He already sounded like a seasoned vet when asked about being part of the broadcast for Jase’s games against the Nuggets.
“I’ll be fine with it, man. I am a true basketball purist. For me, I have no bias. If he’s not playing well, I’m going to be on him,” Richardson said, adding he wasn’t sure if he would be on the studio show or the third analyst for those games. “That’s how we go about every day life. We don’t make excuses for our kids. It’s going to be cool for me to actually be there and watch my son and be breaking down the game.”
Charlotte Bobcats guard Jason Richardson, right, heads up for a shot as Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, front left, and guard Anthony Carter come in to cover in the third quarter of the Nuggets’ 117-101 victory in an NBA basketball game in Denver on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Richardson has plenty of experiences unique to the rest of the broadcast team. No one else on the crew knows what it’s like to play in a back-to-back set or guard some of the game’s elite players. He played against Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups in Denver, among others.
“He’s going to bring a much different take on today’s modern game, because he’s played the game at a high level against some of the greats from Jordan to LeBron,” Krol said. “Jason Richardson is a well-recognized name in the NBA, and we are privileged to have him on our broadcasts.”
He hung it up before getting the chance to play against Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the rest of the Nuggets’ current core, but he’s watched plenty of the home team’s games. He’s about to watch many, many more in a new capacity.
“I’m very connected with Denver. I might not be connected with the Nuggets, but the city of Denver, I understand their love and passion for their sports,” Richardson said.
“I’m just excited about the opportunity to be a part of it.”