Josh Richardson is calling it a career, and honestly, what a career it was for a guy who was drafted 40th overall.
The veteran NBA swingman announced his retirement on Instagram on Wednesday night. Richardson is only 32 years old, which is young for a retirement announcement, but he has already put together a resume most second-round picks would kill for.
“I always gave my best, that’s why i can say this with no regret,” Richardson wrote in his announcement post. He thanked his coaches, teammates, and fans in a heartfelt message that closed the book on a decade in the league.
Richardson came out of the University of Tennessee in 2015 as an overlooked wing prospect. The Miami Heat took him with the 40th overall pick, and Pat Riley’s staff worked their usual magic developing him. Within a few years, he had transformed from a defensive specialist into a legitimate two-way starter.
By 2019, Richardson was leading the Heat in scoring at 16.6 points per game. That is a remarkable outcome for a second-rounder. Most players taken in that range fight to stay on rosters. Richardson became the primary scorer for a Miami team building toward the future.
That success made him a valuable trade asset. The Heat used him as the centerpiece of the deal that brought Jimmy Butler to Miami in 2019. Butler then led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances. Richardson’s departure was one of the transactions that quietly reshaped the entire Eastern Conference.
After leaving Miami, Richardson bounced around. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans. He was never quite the featured scorer he was in Miami, but he was the kind of guy every contender wants on their roster. Big enough to defend multiple positions. Skilled enough to hit an open jumper. Smart enough to know his role.
He eventually made it back to the Heat as a reserve for the last two seasons of his career. It was the right way to wrap things up. Miami is where he became a real NBA player, and Miami is where he took his last professional shot.
Richardson retires with over $62 million in career earnings. That is life-changing money for a second-round pick who nobody expected to have much of a career. He built a real financial future for his family by outworking his draft slot for a decade.
The numbers do not tell the full story. Richardson was a plus defender for most of his career, capable of guarding one through four. He was a reliable spot-up shooter. He had one legitimate breakout offensive season. He never had a serious off-court incident. He was a professional in every sense.
That is the profile of a really successful NBA career, even without any All-Star nods or playoff runs. Richardson made himself into someone. He was drafted to be a role player and ended up leading a team in scoring at his peak. Very few second-round picks can say that.
There were some funny moments along the way. Richardson once got ejected for throwing a shoe into the stands, which is now the kind of thing that would go viral for a week. He also had a reputation as a great teammate wherever he went, which matters more than the highlight reel stuff.
At 32, retiring feels early. But Richardson clearly wants to move on to whatever is next in his life. He has the money, he has the reputation, and he has nothing left to prove. Congratulations on a career very few people saw coming.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
