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Pooh Richardson

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Pooh Richardson
Personal information
Born (1966-05-14) May 14, 1966 (age 58)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolBenjamin Franklin
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeUCLA (1985–1989)
NBA draft1989: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career1989–2000
PositionPoint guard
Number24, 2
Coaching career2017–present
Career history
As player:
1989–1992Minnesota Timberwolves
1992–1994Indiana Pacers
1994–1999Los Angeles Clippers
1999–2000Adecco Milano
As coach:
2017–presentCollege of the Desert CC (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points7,083 (11.1 ppg)
Rebounds1,807 (2.8 rpg)
Assists4,180 (6.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Jerome "Pooh" Richardson Jr. (born May 14, 1966) is an American former basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 1989 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the first draft pick in franchise history. He would also play for the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers during his 10-year NBA career from 1989 to 1999.

Richardson played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 1985 to 1989. A three-time first-team all-conference selection in the Pac-10 (now the Pac-12), he set school career records for assists and three-point field goal percentage.

His nickname came from his grandmother, who thought he resembled Winnie the Pooh.

Early life

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Richardson grew up in Philadelphia, and played basketball in the Sonny Hill League. He was a McDonald's All-American while playing at Ben Franklin High School. He led Ben Franklin to the Public League championship in 1984. The Philadelphia Tribune called Richardson "a basketball legend in [Philadelphia]."[1]

College

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Recruited by head coach Walt Hazzard to play at the University of California, Los Angeles,[1] Richardson was a four-year starter for the Bruins from 1985 through 1989.[2] In his freshman year in 1985–86, he was honored as the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year as well as team's most valuable freshman player and outstanding defensive player.[3] The following season, he was named first-team All-Pac-10.[4] In his junior year, he was named the team's most valuable player (MVP)[5] In Richardson's senior year in 1988–89, he was the team's MVP for the second consecutive year,[5] first-team All-Pac-10 for the third year in a row,[4] and the Bruins' outstanding defensive player for the second time in his career.[3]

Richardson finished his career with UCLA records for most assists in a career (833), most assists in a season (236),[a] and highest career three-point field goal percentage (46.4).[7]

Professional playing career

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The 6-foot-1-inch (1.85 m) point guard was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the tenth overall pick of the 1989 NBA draft out of UCLA. He was their first ever draft choice[1] and played with them for their first three seasons. During the 1992 offseason, he was traded along with Sam Mitchell to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Chuck Person and Micheal Williams. In 1994, the Pacers dealt him to the Los Angeles Clippers along with Malik Sealy and 1994 draft pick Eric Piatkowski in exchange for Mark Jackson and the draft rights to Greg Minor.

After he retired from playing in the NBA, Richardson played a year in Milan at the request of Joe and Kobe Bryant, who were co-owners of the team.[8]

Coaching career

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Richardson became an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coach in Coachella Valley, California, where he purchased a home during his time with Minnesota. In 2017, he became an assistant coach at the College of the Desert.[9]

Notes

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  1. ^ Surpassed by Larry Drew II in 2012–13.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hunt, Donald (September 30, 2010). "76ers' Holiday has mentor, 'Pooh'". Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original on October 17, 2010.
  2. ^ Finney, Ryan (2010). "2010–11 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide (History)" (PDF). UCLA Athletic Department. pp. 113, 115. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Finney 2010, p.111
  4. ^ a b Finney 2010, p.105
  5. ^ a b Finney 2010, p.110
  6. ^ Loumena, Dan (March 9, 2013). "UCLA clinches Pac-12 Conference regular-season title". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  7. ^ Finney, Ryan (2010). "2010–11 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide (Records)" (PDF). UCLA Athletic Department. p. 80. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2012.
  8. ^ John, Andrew L. (January 27, 2020). "'He always wanted more': Family friend Pooh Richardson remembers Kobe before the glory". Palm Springs Desert Sun. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  9. ^ Spicer, Judd (December 18, 2017). "Former NBA star Pooh Richardson lends his hoops expertise to COD as assistant coach". Palm Springs Desert Sun. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
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