Early in his career, he won the NBA Dunk Contest in both 2002 and 2003, becoming the second player, after Michael Jordan, to win the competition back-to-back.

Richardson played along future NBA players Zach Randolph and Charlie Bell as the Spartans advanced to the Final Four before losing to Arizona.

As a sophomore, he had a memorable moment when, in the closing seconds of the game, he bounced the ball off Carlos Boozer's forehead and then made a three-pointer before the clock ran out.

[3] During his time with Golden State, Richardson gained popularity for his outstanding scoring, ability to dunk, dedication to the team and fans, and ethical maturity.

Even after leaving Golden State, Richardson remained one of the most popular players among Warrior fans because of his electric style of play and ability to shoot three-pointers, as well as the longevity and tenor of his tenure with the team.

Richardson began to gain attention with the Bobcats when he led the team to a road win against the Boston Celtics after scoring 34 points.

On December 10, 2008, Richardson was traded along with Jared Dudley, and a 2010 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary.

[14] In the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Richardson led the Suns to a first-round victory over the Portland Trail Blazers,[15] including a career playoff-high 42 points in a Game 3 blowout.

[16] In the next round, Richardson helped the Suns to a series sweep against the San Antonio Spurs, before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

On December 18, 2010, Richardson was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Hedo Türkoğlu and Earl Clark for Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickaël Piétrus, a 2011 first-round draft pick and $3 million cash.

On September 23, 2015, he announced his retirement from the NBA, citing he feared that his ability to walk would be impaired for the rest of his life if he continued to play.