Nick Richards (basketball)

Last updated

Nick Richards
Nick Richards.jpg
Richards with Kentucky in 2019
No. 2–Phoenix Suns
Position Center
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1997-11-29) November 29, 1997 (age 27)
Kingston, Jamaica
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school
College Kentucky (2017–2020)
NBA draft 2020: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2025 Charlotte Hornets
2021 →Greensboro Swarm
2025–present Phoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Nicholas Richards (born November 29, 1997) is a Jamaican professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Contents

High school career

Richards at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Game 20170329 MCDAAG Nicholas Richards on the fast break.jpg
Richards at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Game

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, [1] Richards attended Jamaica College (JC) [2] and competed in football, volleyball and track and field before being discovered by Andre Ricketts, a New York City-based basketball scout, in the summer of 2013 during a basketball camp in Jamaica. [3] Ricketts brought him to the US, where Richards attended St. Mary's High School in Manhasset, New York. He transferred to The Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey in 2014. [4]

He was ranked a five-star recruit in the class of 2017 (by ESPN) and committed to the University of Kentucky in November 2016. [5] He was UK's first commit in the class of 2017 and chose Kentucky over Syracuse and Arizona. [3]

Richards played in the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, [6] scoring two points, grabbing two rebounds and tallying two blocked shots in 14 minutes of action. [7] Participating in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic, he had ten points and three boards in 16 minutes of play. [8] Richards was picked to play for the World Select Team at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit. [9] He saw 19:29 minutes of action during the game, scoring 12 points and grabbing three rebounds. [10]

College career

Richards had then-career-highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds on November 22, 2017, contributing to the Wildcats' 86–67 win over IPFW. [11] He averaged 5.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a freshman but saw his playing time decrease as the season went on. [12]

Richards posted 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore and led the team in blocks. Following the season, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft but opted to return to Kentucky. [13]

On November 8, 2019, Richards scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Kentucky defeated Eastern Kentucky 91–49. [14] He had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks on January 4, 2020, in a 71–59 win over Missouri. [15] Richards had 25 points including the two clinching free throws and 13 rebounds on January 25, in a 76–74 overtime win over Texas Tech. [16] On February 4, Richards set a new career-high with 27 points on an 80–72 win over Mississippi State. [17] At the conclusion of the regular season, Richards was named to the First Team All-SEC. [18] He averaged 14 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. [19] Following the season, Richards declared for the 2020 NBA draft. [20]

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets / Greensboro Swarm (2020–2025)

In the 2020 NBA draft, Richards was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans 42nd overall and immediately traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. [21] On November 30, 2020, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Hornets. [22] Richards was assigned to the Greensboro Swarm and made his NBA G League debut on February 21, 2021, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. During the 2020–21 NBA season, he saw minimal playing time, appearing in 18 games for the Hornets with an average of 3.5 minutes and.8 points per game. [23]

On December 6, 2021, Richards scored a season-high 12 points, alongside five rebounds and two assists, in a 127–124 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. [24]

On October 19, 2022, Richards scored 19 points, alongside ten rebounds, in the Hornets' season-opening 129–102 win over the San Antonio Spurs. [25] On October 23, he scored a then career-high 20 points, alongside eleven rebounds and two blocks, in a 126–109 win over the Atlanta Hawks. [26] On March 22, 2023, Richards signed a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the Hornets. [27] [28]

On January 27, 2024, Richards scored a career-high 26 points, along with 13 rebounds in a 134–122 loss to the Utah Jazz. [29]

Phoenix Suns (2025–present)

On January 15, 2025, Richards was traded to the Phoenix Suns alongside one future second-round pick in exchange for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks. [30] Richards made his Suns debut three days later, putting up a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in a 125–121 win over the Detroit Pistons. [31] He ended up becoming the first center in Suns franchise history to record a double-double of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in his debut game while coming off the bench. [32]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

NBA

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2020–21 Charlotte 1803.5.444.000.636.6.1.0.0.8
2021–22 Charlotte 5057.3.667—.6981.7.3.2.43.0
2022–23 Charlotte 65918.7.6291.000.7496.4.6.21.18.2
2023–24 Charlotte 675126.2.691.000.7378.0.8.41.19.7
2024–25 Charlotte 21921.0.561.000.6787.51.3.31.28.9
Career2217417.4.649.250.7265.5.6.2.97.0

Play-in

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2021 Charlotte 104.3.500—.6671.0.0.0.04.0
Career104.3.500—.6671.0.0.0.04.0

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2017–18 Kentucky 373714.7.616–.7184.4.2.1.95.1
2018–19 Kentucky 37312.1.598–.6903.3.2.11.33.9
2019–20 Kentucky 313029.6.642–.7527.8.2.12.114.0
Career1057018.2.627–.7285.0.2.11.47.3

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References

  1. ↑ "Nick Richards: The Journey from Jamaica to Jersey". September 19, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Cunningham, JC proud of Nick Richards". jamaica-gleaner.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Zagoria, Adam (November 10, 2016). "After Journey from Jamaica to Jersey, Nick Richards Commits to Kentucky". Zagsblog. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  4. ↑ Zagoria, Adam (October 23, 2014). "Big Man Nick Richards With 'Kentucky-Type Talent' Transfers to The Patrick School". Zagsblog. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ "5-star Nick Richards commits to Kentucky". Scout.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Kentucky signee Nick Richards calls becoming McDonald's All American a dream come true". USA Today High School Sports. January 25, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ "2017 McDonald's All-American Game box score". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Official Basketball Box Score -- Game Totals -- Final Statistics East Team vs West Team" (PDF). jordanbrandclassic.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  9. ↑ "FIBA youth stars set to showcase skills at Nike Hoop Summit". FIBA.basketball. April 7, 2017. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Nike Hoop Summit Box Scores". usab.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.[ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "No. 8 Kentucky finally has it easy against Fort Wayne, 86–67". ESPN . Associated Press. November 22, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ Roberts, Ben (October 8, 2018). "Forget what you saw last season. There's a new Nick Richards at Kentucky". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  13. ↑ Hale, Jon (May 28, 2019). "Nick Richards withdraws from NBA draft to return to Kentucky for junior season". Louisville Courier-Journal . Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  14. ↑ "No. 2 Kentucky easily handles Eastern Kentucky 91–49". ESPN . Associated Press. November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  15. ↑ "No. 17 Kentucky outlasts Missouri 71–59 in SEC opener". ESPN . Associated Press. January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  16. ↑ "No. 15 Kentucky pulls out 76-74 OT win at No. 18 Texas Tech". ESPN . Associated Press. January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  17. ↑ "No. 15 Kentucky bounces back to beat Mississippi State 80–72". ESPN . Associated Press. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  18. ↑ "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  19. ↑ Fisher, Chris (March 16, 2020). "Four Wildcats projected among ESPN's top 60 NBA Draft prospects". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  20. ↑ Phillips, Scott (April 14, 2020). "Nick Richards leaving Kentucky for 2020 NBA draft". NBC Sports . Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Hornets Acquire Nick Richards". Charlotte Hornets. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Charlotte Hornets Sign Nick Richards". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Nick Richards | Charlotte Hornets". NBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  24. ↑ "EMBIID SCORES 43, 76ERS HOLD OFF PESKY HORNETS 127-124 IN OT". NBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  25. ↑ "ROZIER SCORES 24 AS HORNETS ROUT YOUTHFUL SPURS, 129-102". NBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  26. ↑ "OUBRE, RICHARDS POWER HORNETS TO 126-109 WIN OVER HAWKS". NBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Hornets Sign Nick Richards To Multi-Year Extension". NBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Hornets, Nick Richards agree to 3-year, $15 million extension". ESPN.com. March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Markkanen scores 33, Jazz build 36-point lead in 134-122 victory over Hornets". ESPN.com. January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  30. ↑ "SUNS ACQUIRE CENTER NICK RICHARDS FROM CHARLOTTE". NBA.com. January 15, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  31. ↑ https://www.nba.com/game/phx-vs-det-0022400586
  32. ↑ https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2025/1/18/24346874/phoenix-suns-beat-detroit-pistons-durant-booker-richards-shine-2025-nba
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