Los Angeles Clippers: 15 best draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
It hasn’t been all that long since long-time NBA shooting guard Quentin Richardson called it a career. While he last played for the New York Knicks in 2012-13, Richardson began his 13-year NBA career with the team that drafted him in the Clippers. Richardson was taken No. 18 overall in the underwhelming 2000 NBA Draft out of DePaul University in Chicago.
Richardson would play his first four NBA seasons with the Clippers from 2000 to 2004. He would average 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 25.7 minutes per contest in Clippers uniform. Richardson’s best season with the Clippers would come in his last year with the team in 2003-04. He would make the most of his contract year, averaging 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 36.0 minutes per contest.
Richardson would reach free agency for the first time in summer 2004. He would sign with the division rival Phoenix Suns in his free agency, but obviously was not long for the Valley of the Sun. Richardson was traded on the fifth anniversary of his draft selection to the New York Knicks, where he would play the next four seasons.
Overall, Richardson would average 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 13 NBA seasons, playing for five different teams. Shortly after his retirement, Richardson would join the Detroit Pistons staff as director of player development. He held that job for two years through the 2015-16 NBA season. Richardson is looking to be an NBA head coach one day.