Sports mourns: farewell to “Sugar” Richardson. The extraordinary life of a basketball talent.
Florence, November 11, 2025 – The death of Micheal ray richardson, the legendary ‘Sugar’ for basketball fans, strikes mourning not only the world of basketball (from the NBA to Bologna, from Livorno to Forlì), but also that of football. In fact, “Sugar” was the father of Amir Richardson, Fiorentina midfielder in his second year with the Viola.
The New York Knicks, one of the teams he played for in the NBA, announced his death.
Michael Ray Richardson’s career has been a tumultuous and emotional one, in every sense of the word. His life has been over the top, punctuated by drug problems.
Fourth overall pick in 1978, he played in the NBA for eight years, mostly in the New York Knicks from 1978 to 1982 and in New Jersey Nets from the 1983 1986.
After being disqualified (again due to drug problems) he arrived in Italy in 1988 in the ranks of the then Knorr BolognaHe played in Italy until 1994, winning the Italian Cup in 1989 and becoming the MVP of the All Star Game. The following year always with Virtus he won the Italian Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup. He scored 50 points in the All Star Game, achieving a new record.
In 1992 he moved to Baker Livorno, where despite the initial scepticism he returned to play two top-level championships, literally bringing back the love for basketball in the city, a love that had ended after the highly contested merger between the two arch-rival city entities, namely the Livorno Basketball and LibertasHis memorable performance against his former team Virtus in Bologna, where he scored 32 points and, thanks in part to a 3-pointer by Lauro Bon (also formerly of Virtus) in the final second of overtime, secured a playoff spot. He returned to Libertas Forlì at almost 43 years of age in the 1998-99 season. At the end of that season, he managed to secure a contract and return to Livorno, but in February 2000 he was waived and ended his career at 45.
