Nick Richards (basketball)
![]() Richards with Kentucky in 2019 | |
No. 4 – Charlotte Hornets | |
---|---|
Position | Center |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Kingston, Jamaica | November 29, 1997
Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
Listed weight | 245 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 career | 2020–present |
Career history | |
2020–present | Charlotte Hornets |
2021 | →Greensboro Swarm |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Nicholas Richards (born November 29, 1997) is a Jamaican professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
High school career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/20170329_MCDAAG_Nicholas_Richards_on_the_fast_break.jpg/220px-20170329_MCDAAG_Nicholas_Richards_on_the_fast_break.jpg)
Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica,[1] Richards attended Jamaica College (JC)[2] and competed in soccer, 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
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 second-round pick in 2024.[21] On November 30, 2020, he signed a 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.
Career statistics
GP | Games 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
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020–21 | Charlotte | 18 | 0 | 3.5 | .444 | .000 | .636 | .6 | .1 | .0 | .0 | .8 |
2021–22 | Charlotte | 50 | 5 | 7.3 | .667 | – | .698 | 1.7 | .3 | .2 | .4 | 3.0 |
Career | 68 | 5 | 6.3 | .646 | .000 | .685 | 1.4 | .2 | .1 | .3 | 2.4 |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Kentucky | 37 | 37 | 14.7 | .616 | – | .718 | 4.4 | .2 | .1 | .9 | 5.1 |
2018–19 | Kentucky | 37 | 3 | 12.1 | .598 | – | .690 | 3.3 | .2 | .1 | 1.3 | 3.9 |
2019–20 | Kentucky | 31 | 30 | 29.6 | .642 | – | .752 | 7.8 | .2 | .1 | 2.1 | 14.0 |
Career | 105 | 70 | 18.2 | .627 | – | .728 | 5.0 | .2 | .1 | 1.4 | 7.3 |
References
- ^ "Nick Richards: The Journey from Jamaica to Jersey". September 19, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Cunningham, JC proud of Nick Richards". jamaica-gleaner.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Zagoria, Adam (November 10, 2016). "After Journey from Jamaica to Jersey, Nick Richards Commits to Kentucky". Zagsblog. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam (October 23, 2014). "Big Man Nick Richards With 'Kentucky-Type Talent' Transfers to The Patrick School". Zagsblog. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "5-star Nick Richards commits to Kentucky". Scout.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "2017 McDonald's All-American Game box score". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "FIBA youth stars set to showcase skills at Nike Hoop Summit". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Nike Hoop Summit Box Scores". usab.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "No. 8 Kentucky finally has it easy against Fort Wayne, 86–67". ESPN. Associated Press. November 22, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "No. 2 Kentucky easily handles Eastern Kentucky 91–49". ESPN. Associated Press. November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ "No. 17 Kentucky outlasts Missouri 71–59 in SEC opener". ESPN. Associated Press. January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ "No. 15 Kentucky pulls out 76-74 OT win at No. 18 Texas Tech". ESPN. Associated Press. January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- ^ "No. 15 Kentucky bounces back to beat Mississippi State 80–72". ESPN. Associated Press. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Fisher, Chris (March 16, 2020). "Four Wildcats projected among ESPN's top 60 NBA Draft prospects". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ Phillips, Scott (April 14, 2020). "Nick Richards leaving Kentucky for 2020 NBA draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "Hornets Acquire Nick Richards". Charlotte Hornets. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Charlotte Hornets Sign Nick Richards". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
External links
- 1997 births
- Living people
- Centers (basketball)
- Charlotte Hornets players
- Greensboro Swarm players
- Jamaican expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Jamaican men's basketball players
- Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- New Orleans Pelicans draft picks
- The Patrick School alumni
- Sportspeople from Kingston, Jamaica