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M. R. back for a visit

1979-80 MRR led the league in steals and assists.
he was the one guy that Isiah Thomas was scared of.
must watch documentary that tells some of the story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOo20EBKdDE
 
Easily the most fabled player in the history of Montana basketball.

Michael Ray with the Knicks: "The ship be sinkin'." Reporter: "How far?" Michael Ray: "Sky's the limit."

Question to Michigan State head coach Jud Heathcote when he signed Magic Johnson. "Have you ever seen a player like Magic?" Jud: "Yes. Michael Ray Richardson."

The saddest part of his career: Getting traded to the Golden State Warriors. The drug trade was thriving in Oakland and he was an easy mark for the dealers.

Probably the best: Reclaiming his career and his reputation in Europe after the NBA issued its life-long suspension.

Happiness on my part: That he was finally initiated into our Hall of Fame.

More: That he remembers Stock's!
 
citay said:
Easily the most fabled player in the history of Montana basketball.

Michael Ray with the Knicks: "The ship be sinkin'." Reporter: "How far?" Michael Ray: "Sky's the limit."

Question to Michigan State head coach Jud Heathcote when he signed Magic Johnson. "Have you ever seen a player like Magic?" Jud: "Yes. Michael Ray Richardson."

The saddest part of his career: Getting traded to the Golden State Warriors. The drug trade was thriving in Oakland and he was an easy mark for the dealers.

Probably the best: Reclaiming his career and his reputation in Europe after the NBA issued its life-long suspension.

Happiness on my part: That he was finally initiated into our Hall of Fame.

More: That he remembers Stock's!

Well said! I was only 7 or 8 years old when he was here, sat in general admission with my dad basically following MR's every move. Great era for Griz hoops! Also, on a side note, i lived a couple miles up Miller creek, and will never forget MR jogging by our house wearing huge hiking boots with red shoe laces, as i stared in awe
 
wyomingriz said:
citay said:
Easily the most fabled player in the history of Montana basketball.

Michael Ray with the Knicks: "The ship be sinkin'." Reporter: "How far?" Michael Ray: "Sky's the limit."

Question to Michigan State head coach Jud Heathcote when he signed Magic Johnson. "Have you ever seen a player like Magic?" Jud: "Yes. Michael Ray Richardson."

The saddest part of his career: Getting traded to the Golden State Warriors. The drug trade was thriving in Oakland and he was an easy mark for the dealers.

Probably the best: Reclaiming his career and his reputation in Europe after the NBA issued its life-long suspension.

Happiness on my part: That he was finally initiated into our Hall of Fame.

More: That he remembers Stock's!

Well said! I was only 7 or 8 years old when he was here, sat in general admission with my dad basically following MR's every move. Great era for Griz hoops! Also, on a side note, i lived a couple miles up Miller creek, and will never forget MR jogging by our house wearing huge hiking boots with red shoe laces, as i stared in awe

I was in my teens during the MRR era. Missoula was definitely a basketball town then. Rarely missed a game. Packed Adams field house, while the football team (which sucked) toiled away at shitty old Dornblazer field…..
 
We played pick up ball with MRR in the summer, Jud was his usual self, full court play until 10 points.
That usually came quickly.
My friend (bad fan) actually scored on him, Jud stopped the game to wipe the doo-doo off the ball .
 
Proud Griz Man said:
1979-80 MRR led the league in steals and assists.
he was the one guy that Isiah Thomas was scared of.
must watch documentary that tells some of the story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOo20EBKdDE

Only MRR, John Stockton, Slick Watts and Chris Paul have lead the NBA in steals and assists in the same year. Only Chris Paul with 6, has more seasons leading the league in steals. He's tied for 2nd with Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Alvin Robertson and Allen Iverson with 3.

MRR is #2 all-time in steals/game, yes just ahead of Michael Jordan at #3 https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/stl_per_g_career.html
 
One other thing. Michal Ray Richardson might to this day be known as Mike Richardson had not we had Michael John Richardson at the same time. So in part he owes his great alliterative name to Montana.
 
citay said:
One other thing. Michal Ray Richardson might to this day be known as Mike Richardson had not we had Michael John Richardson at the same time. So in part he owes his great alliterative name to Montana.

I did kinda know that. I knew there were 2 Richardsons on the Griz, but I thought it was MR's brother. Is that not right? Was this other Michael Richardson unrelated?
 
Zirg said:
citay said:
One other thing. Michal Ray Richardson might to this day be known as Mike Richardson had not we had Michael John Richardson at the same time. So in part he owes his great alliterative name to Montana.

I did kinda know that. I knew there were 2 Richardsons on the Griz, but I thought it was MR's brother. Is that not right? Was this other Michael Richardson unrelated?

Not related. Michael John Richardson was white.
 
citay said:
Zirg said:
I did kinda know that. I knew there were 2 Richardsons on the Griz, but I thought it was MR's brother. Is that not right? Was this other Michael Richardson unrelated?

Not related. Michael John Richardson was white.

Okay, but how do you know they weren't related. ;)

Seriously, I didn't know that background on the MRR name. Thanks for a great info share.
 
citay said:
Zirg said:
I did kinda know that. I knew there were 2 Richardsons on the Griz, but I thought it was MR's brother. Is that not right? Was this other Michael Richardson unrelated?

Not related. Michael John Richardson was white.

Michael John was a GREAT rebounder!
 
citay said:
Mousegriz said:
Micheal....is how he spells his first name!

Micheal Ray Richardson
Michael John Richardson

You got it.....but neither one shot threes for the Warriors! They did both stick around UM for 4 years unlike many of the high quality Cali boys you've been bragging up for years!
 
When MRR was with the Warriors, I had a chance to see him play in Denver against the Nuggets. It was before his big decline, though who knows if he was on anything during the game. He managed to notch a triple double and just dominated the game. Was quite a spectacle.
 
wyomingriz said:
citay said:
Easily the most fabled player in the history of Montana basketball.

Michael Ray with the Knicks: "The ship be sinkin'." Reporter: "How far?" Michael Ray: "Sky's the limit."

Question to Michigan State head coach Jud Heathcote when he signed Magic Johnson. "Have you ever seen a player like Magic?" Jud: "Yes. Michael Ray Richardson."

The saddest part of his career: Getting traded to the Golden State Warriors. The drug trade was thriving in Oakland and he was an easy mark for the dealers.

Probably the best: Reclaiming his career and his reputation in Europe after the NBA issued its life-long suspension.

Happiness on my part: That he was finally initiated into our Hall of Fame.

More: That he remembers Stock's!

Well said! I was only 7 or 8 years old when he was here, sat in general admission with my dad basically following MR's every move. Great era for Griz hoops! Also, on a side note, i lived a couple miles up Miller creek, and will never forget MR jogging by our house wearing huge hiking boots with red shoe laces, as i stared in awe
Never forget one his plays at Dalberg, steals the ball down court, races up court, leaps from the free throw line with a huge dunk....oh ya!
 
I want to correct some misinformation that I posted earlier.

I had remembered that Richardson's career ended with the Warriors, and that his drug problems began in Oakland. Not so. He was traded back to the New Jersey Nets in 1983 and proceeded to have his most productive years in the NBA, playing there until February of 1986 when he was suspended by David Stern after his third violation for drug use. Nor was it a lifetime ban. He was eligible for re-instatement in 1988 but decided instead to stay in Europe.

Another note. Chris Mullins, then a big star for the Warriors--and one of their color commentators on TV to this day--was a notorious alcoholic. Richardson complained bitterly that his drug suspension was racially motivated, that Chis Mullins avoided suspension not only because he was white but because he was just using a different drug. The white man's drug. Some justification for this point of view. In 1986, there were 24,000 traffic deaths due to drunk driving. Unless somebody was in his way on one of his legendary swoops to the basket, Richardson wasn't a threat to kill anybody.

One final note. It's testimony to Richard's legendary status that forty seven years after playing here, this thread still resonates with the individual memories of his feats for so many Griz fans.
 
citay said:
One final note. It's testimony to Richard's legendary status that forty seven years after playing here, this thread still resonates with the individual memories of his feats for so many Griz fans.

That and NO ONE has ever come here that could even come close to even sustaining an NBA career let alone being a superstar outside of Krysko.
 
citay said:
I want to correct some misinformation that I posted earlier.

I had remembered that Richardson's career ended with the Warriors, and that his drug problems began in Oakland. Not so. He was traded back to the New Jersey Nets in 1983 and proceeded to have his most productive years in the NBA, playing there until February of 1986 when he was suspended by David Stern after his third violation for drug use. Nor was it a lifetime ban. He was eligible for re-instatement in 1988 but decided instead to stay in Europe.

Another note. Chris Mullins, then a big star for the Warriors--and one of their color commentators on TV to this day--was a notorious alcoholic. Richardson complained bitterly that his drug suspension was racially motivated, that Chis Mullins avoided suspension not only because he was white but because he was just using a different drug. The white man's drug. Some justification for this point of view. In 1986, there were 24,000 traffic deaths due to drunk driving. Unless somebody was in his way on one of his legendary swoops to the basket, Richardson wasn't a threat to kill anybody.

One final note. It's testimony to Richard's legendary status that forty seven years after playing here, this thread still resonates with the individual memories of his feats for so many Griz fans.

Well I remember him claiming that race was involved, but let’s be honest: alcohol is/was legal. Cocaine still is not. So, while Mullins may have been a raging alcoholic, he wasn’t doing anything illegal.
 
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