India has great potential to be another market for NBA: Jason Richardson
Mumbai: Two-time ‘Slam Dunk Champion’ NBA legend Jason Richardson was in the city on Saturday for a promotional event to support the continued growth of basketball and interact with fans.
A 6’ 6’ forward from Michigan, Richardson was selected fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2001 NBA Draft. Over the course of his 14-year NBA career, he also played for the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets), Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers before officially retiring in 2015.
In a freewheeling chat with this correspondent, Richardson shares his journey while encountering injuries that almost put an end to his career, views on Indian basketball and future of NBA stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Being an ordinary bloke hailing from Saginaw to holding a professional status in the NBA, how did this journey of yours begin?
The journey began a long time ago. Playing basketball is something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. But I knew that making it to the NBA is very tough. Only 435 guys make it to the NBA in the world. I knew that I had to work hard to get to that. So making it to the NBA was a childhood dream and it turned out to be everything I wanted.
You held the title of ‘NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion’ back to back for two consecutive seasons (2002 and 2003). What was the key to your consistency?
There wasn't really a key because the dunk contest was one of the things that I wanted to do as a kid. I was growing up watching Michael Jordan like most of the kids in the world who like basketball, and I always used to imitate his dunks. Once I got to the dunk contest and actually did it, it was easy for me. It was easy for me for those two years to go out there and perform those dunks and win the contest.
In the year 2003, there were some good dunkers in the ‘Slam Dunk Contest’ and your final dunk was something no one had really seen before. What was going on in your mind at that time?
Well, I think the hardest thing about the dunk contest is that there aren't many dunks that people haven't seen before and I always used to think how I could do something to get the crowd and how to win it. I always had a couple of dunks that I thought I could do, but I never did it before. The last dunk I did was in 2003 and that was the first time I ever did that dunk, and luckily I pulled it off. Realistically, I tried to do that dunk a couple of times when I went to China on a tour. So I just did that dunk three times in my whole life.
How has the interaction with Indian basketball fans and aspiring players been so far?
Oh the interaction has been huge! I think that the kids here are really enjoying basketball and want to know more about it. I really think India has great potential to be another country that's huge for basketball. Hopefully, this could be another market for the NBA.
The NBA season started earlier this week. What are your predictions for the current season?
It's going to be a fun season. A lot of teams have gotten better. Of course, Golden State are the defending champions but no matter what happened last year, they still have to be at the throne to be kings. This is going to be an exciting season. There are a lot of new teams, a lot of new faces in different places and just like any other NBA season, it's going to be fun to watch.
Being away from competitive basketball for almost a season and a half due to injury, how did you manage to make a colossal comeback?
That's my passion for the game. I might not have all the skills of LeBron James, Chris Paul, Derek Rose or Kobe Bryant, but I always played hard. I always gave it my 100 per cent every time I stepped on the basketball court. Coming back and playing after being out for 776 days showed my passion and love to play basketball. I have seen guys who get hurt and don't want to play anymore, and that's the end of them. I wanted to prove to myself that my career wasn't over. I came back and I played twenty games, and I felt proud to finish my career like that.
You’ve had an illustrious career spanning 14 seasons in which you bagged nearly 15,000 points. What were your most memorable moments?
It has to be the dunk contest. That was something I always wanted to do as a kid. The day I got drafted was also a special moment for me. It helped me know that I have accomplished my dream, coming from a small city in Michigan. Also, the moment when we upset the Dallas Mavericks at Golden State was memorable. We were a team of misfits (chuckles) and we weren't supposed to win against them because Dallas were expected to go on and win the championship.
Towards the end of your remarkable career, you played with a lot of promising young talents. Did any player in particular catch you attention?
Pretty much all the young guys, because they're faster, they can jump higher than me right now. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are quite talented. I really like Kyrie Irwing. I didn't play against him much but I think he's going to be really special, Anthony Davis too. He's only 22. He's going to be a special player in another three years. These young guys could pretty much take over the league. Of course you've got LeBron and Kobe and other guys, but they're getting older. I think Anthony Davis will carry the torch for the young guys.
Earlier this year, Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian-born basketball player to be drafted by an NBA team.
I haven't seen much about him, but talking to people who know him, he seems like a guy who's very passionate about basketball. I was watching some of his highlights and his stories on Sony Six and he's into basketball a lot and has a lot of passion for the game. I think that once you have those things and a good work ethic, it could help you have a long career in NBA.
Who’s your best friend in the basketball fraternity? What kind of relationship you share with him?
Oh man, I have so many friends! I don't have a best friend in the basketball fraternity but Grant Hill is someone I'm really close with. Shaquille O'Neal is another good friend. There are so many guys I'm really close to, all-star Steve Nash, who also got retired in Phoenix. We all share that special bond, especially guys that you play with because you went through battles and you worked hard in training camps. So I’m just friends with everybody.
Were there any major incidents in your life that made you evolve as a person or a basketball player?
I think getting hurt made me realise that I had to look at things from a different perspective. My whole life has been about basketball and I sacrificed a lot of relationships with family members and I missed a lot of time with my kids. I realised that I love basketball but it’s not the most important thing in my life. The most important things in my life are my wife and my kids. So that changed me and made me understand that there’s more to life than just basketball.
You’ve spent time playing with various teams in the NBA. If you had a chance to play for any one of them again, which team would that be and why?
It would be Golden State Warriors by far. I mean, hands down, no hesitation in that. Not the Golden State right now. I’m talking about the Golden State back then, because I credit the fans. Those fans were unbelievable. We weren’t winning many games. Out of 82 games we were probably winning 19 to 17 games. But those fans were always supportive and they gave me so much energy. They made me want to work hard because they were so loyal. They just wanted the team to do good and play hard. It’s weird that even though I never made it to the all-star team and have neither won the NBA championship, those guys still love me and made me one of the most popular players in NBA history. I would go back there and play any day if I could.
What are your future plans post-retirement?
Right now I’m just a stay-at-home dad. I take my kids to school every day. I take them to soccer, football and basketball practices. During the season, I never got to do those things. After I settled down, I kind of decompressed knowing that my career is over. I had job offers as assisting coach in a couple of teams. But I would rather be on the business side, like a general manager in the front office, making decisions regarding the management of the team.
