Mitch Richmond
(Born 1965)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2014
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Hall of Fame
Position: 6’5″
Height: SG
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Mitch Richmond, nicknamed “Rock” because of his solid build and strength, started his career with the Golden State Warriors and then became the first all-star and the face of the Sacramento Kings. Mitch worked hard and enjoyed his time in Sacramento although he never got much help on the basketball court.
None of his Kings teams ever reached 40 wins so Richmond’s greatness went largely unnoticed by the casual NBA fan. He also played in the era of Michael Jordan, the best shooting guard in NBA history. Other NBA players recognize Mitch as one of the best two-guards to play the game because of his scoring, his tough defense and his overall high level of play.
Awards and Honors
- Mitch was selected by the Warriors with the 5th pick in the first round of the 1988 NBA Draft. His career got off to a fast start as he was selected the 1988-89 NBA Rookie of the Year.
- Richmond was a six-time NBA All-Star with the Kings. He was selected for this honor six consecutive times from the 1992-93 season through the 1997-98 season. Mitch won the All-Star game MVP in 1995.
- Mitch represented the USA in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, where he won a bronze medal, and again in 1996 in Atlanta, where he helped lead Team USA to the gold medal.
- Richmond was named All-NBA Second Team three times and All-NBA Third Team twice during his fourteen-year NBA career.
- In his last season in the NBA, Mitch won his first NBA Championship on a Los Angeles Lakers team led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
Points of Interest
- Richmond played college basketball at Kansas State University where he averaged 20.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and was named Second Team All-America in 1988.
- Tim Hardaway, Mitch, and Chris Mullin formed the legendary combination nicknamed “Run TMC” which pushed the pace and scored in bunches for the Warriors until Richmond was traded to the Sacramento Kings after his third season.
- Run TMC played together for only two years. In 1989-90 Mullin averaged 25.1 ppg, Richmond 22.1 ppg, and Hardaway 14.7 ppg. In their final year, 1990-91, Mullin averaged 25.7 ppg, Richmond 23.9 ppg, and Hardaway 22.9 ppg.
- In his career, Mitch averaged 21.0 points per game and had a shooting percentage of 45.5%, including 38.8% from behind the arc.
- As a result of being on mediocre teams for much of his career, Richmond was often underrated. His enshrinement in the Hall of Fame brought Mitch validation for his incredible basketball career and all of his hard work.
Statistics
Mitch Richmond Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com