Josh Richardson

Joshua Michael Richardson (born September 15, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers, earning first-team all-conference honors in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as a senior in 2015. He was selected in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft by the Miami Heat and has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Richardson averaged 16.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists as a point guard in his senior year at Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. That year, he was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association "Large West" All-State Team and The Oklahoman's Super 5 first team.

Richardson played all four seasons at University of Tennessee, appearing in 136 career games for the Volunteers and averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.08 steals and 28.2 minutes while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from three-point range and 75.8 percent from the foul line. He finished his career ranking third in school history in games played, ninth in minutes (3,802), ninth in starts, 10th in steals (147), 16th in blocks (88) and 28th in points (1,252).

As a junior with the Volunteers, he averaged 10.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. In his senior season, Richardson averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and was named to the First Team All SEC, the SEC All-Defensive Team and the Defensive All-American Team.

Miami Heat (2015–2019)

2015–16 season

On June 25, 2015, Richardson was selected with the 40th pick of the 2015 NBA draft by the Miami Heat. On August 3, 2015, he signed with the Heat after averaging 11.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10 summer league games. He failed to appear in the Heat's first four games of the season before making his NBA debut on November 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, playing in just under seven minutes of action. On November 12, in just his third NBA game, Richardson started at shooting guard in place of the absent Dwyane Wade. He subsequently recorded eight points and three rebounds in 20 minutes of action, as the Heat defeated the Utah Jazz 92–91. On December 30, he was assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat's D-League affiliate. He was recalled by the Heat on January 3, reassigned on January 5, and recalled again on January 11. On February 24, he recorded his first double-digit game in the NBA, scoring 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench in a 118–111 loss to the Golden State Warriors. On March 11, he scored a career-high 22 points in a 118–96 win over the Chicago Bulls. On April 5, he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for March, becoming just the third player in Heat franchise history to win the monthly rookie award; the other two being Caron Butler (four-time recipient in 2002–03) and Michael Beasley (April 2009).

2016–17 season

In July 2016, Richardson re-joined the Heat for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 9, 2016, he sustained a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee, that sidelined him for six to eight weeks. On December 27, 2016, he tied a career high with 22 points in a 106–94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

2017–18 season

On September 18, 2017, Richardson signed a four-year, $42 million contract extension with the Heat. On December 1, 2017, he scored a career-high 27 points in a 105–100 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On December 16, 2017, he set a new career high with 28 points in a 90–85 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On February 7, 2018, he had a 30-point effort in a 109–101 loss to the Houston Rockets.

2018–19 season

On October 29, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 123–113 loss to the Sacramento Kings. On November 3, he set a new career high with 32 points in a 123–118 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On February 10, 2019, he scored a career-high 37 points and made eight 3-pointers in a 120–118 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He missed games at the end of the season with heel and groin injuries. Richardson's per-game averages of 16.6 points and 4.1 assists were the highest of his NBA career.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)

On July 6, 2019, Miami traded Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a package for Jimmy Butler. On December 12, Richardson scored 14 points in a 115–109 win against the Boston Celtics. Coach Brett Brown called him a "dot connector" and "bridge builder".

Dallas Mavericks (2020–2021)

On November 18, 2020, Richardson, along with the draft rights to Tyler Bey, were traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Seth Curry. His season was characterized by Sports Illustrated as "disappointing" as Richardson's production dropped significantly in the playoffs. In 7 games against the Los Angeles Clippers, he scored only 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 13.4 minutes per game.

Boston Celtics (2021–present)

On July 31, 2021, Richardson was acquired by the Boston Celtics using the remainder of the Gordon Hayward traded player exception in exchange for young center Moses Brown. On August 24, 2021, the Boston Celtics announced that they had signed Richardson to contract extension.

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Richardson's father, Mike, is a retired Oklahoma City firefighter, and his mother, Alice, is an ordained Baptist minister and retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. His older sister, Alex, played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. Richardson received his degree in Psychology in May 2015, and enjoys playing classical piano.