Jase Richardson Talks Orlando Magic, NBA Draft, Tom Izzo, Michigan State, Soccer, Knee Injury & More

Jase Richardson Talks Orlando Magic, NBA Draft, Tom Izzo, Michigan State, Soccer, Knee Injury & More

Joining me on today’s show is a very special guest. He’s a man that had one heck of a freshman season at Michigan State. He’s gone through NBA draft process and now is a first round pick, the number 25th pick to be specific for the Orlando Magic and that is Jace Richardson. Jace, I appreciate you for taking time to come on Monday, man. I appreciate you for having me. Absolutely. Well, first things first, man. You just signed a Nike deal. You’re part of the Lando Magic finishing up your first NBA summer league. How surreal is life right now for yourself? Super. Um, I still can’t really put it into words what’s going on right now. uh kind of started going around my head, started wrapping around my head once I hit summer league, but it still just kind of feels like a dream. Now, as you’ve been kind of going through this process, I know it’s very hectic as you talk about, you know, you end your college season right into the NBA draft process, then you’re in the NBA summer league. You’re trying to get all these negotiate negotiations for your contracts, all these different things happening. How chaotic has it been? Have you been able to kind of start settling down a little bit now? Uh, it’s been super chaotic. Uh once I announced that I was going to the draft, I think I had like a week week and a half off and then I was straight into the training for uh pre-draft and the combine. So I kind of just felt like I didn’t have any downtime over the summer. I felt like it was just constant work going to the combine, different different workouts for different teams. And so finally getting to this point, I’m kind of, you know, slowing down. Life’s kind of slowing down for me right now. Right. Well, Jason, I want people to get to know your story a little bit better. I know we’ve known each other quite a few years now. you’ve been all the way back in high school, but I want people to get to know your story and how you become the guy that you are today. And so, I have to start with this. You’ve grown up in a basketball household. A lot of people obviously know your dad, Jason Richardson, but your mom as well. She played collegiately. She also was your coach growing up for a lot of it. So, basketball had to just be kind of part of your life. What was that like? Uh, it it was good, honestly. Um, I grew up always had a basketball in my hand. I think I learned how to dribble before I knew how to walk. So, that’s kind of just like how it was in my household. Everybody play basketball, brother plays basketball, like right. So, growing up, it just kind of just felt like it was it was destined for me to be a basketball player. So, you know, just having those resources with my mom and dad, it was super helpful. If I’m not mistaken, you actually were playing soccer as well up until 8th grade. What made you switch over and go all in on basketball at that point then? Co. Okay. Uh I really like I really love soccer. I think Yeah, soccer was my first sport honestly. And um grew up playing it. I loved it. I love watching it and I kind of just felt like that was a great sport for me and then CO hit and I just kind of stopped training. I was like, “Yeah, I got to go with basketball now.” Now, at that point in time, let’s say CO never hit, never happened. Is there a chance you would have pursued soccer still up into up and through high school? Oh, definitely. Okay. Definitely. I had an opportunity to train in Spain um that summer. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go, but um probably would have been over there trying to trying to get on a team or something. So, you possibly could have went the international route right out of high school instead of pursuing basketball then? Yes. Um, I really I think I got the opportunity eighth grade to go train in Barcelona with um be elite which was the team in Colorado that I played for. We used to do a uh like kind of this thing where we have guys come in from Spain to train with us and then we would go out there and train with them. So, my trip unfortunately got cut due to co but I would have loved to go out there. Was it more so a love in terms of just playing it or do you also like watching? Like if today, you know, you have a big soccer fight or big soccer match or basketball game to watch, which one you choosing? Oh, that’s tough. I really love soccer. I really love basketball. So, it really depends what game it is, honestly. Um, when I first came out here, my first second day here, I think I went to a soccer I went to a soccer game. They played Inner Miami, so Orlando FC versus Inner Miami, and it was just a fun atmosphere to be at. So that love is still very present for yourself for soccer then. Oh, definitely. I mean, my favorite team is Real Madrid. I’m always watching their games. Um, we didn’t have as great of a season as I wanted us to, but you know, I feel like next year we’re going to bounce back. All right. So, there’s another story when I was doing some research about you, and it’s from somebody that’s in the media, a man, and he talked about a story about you that he was seeing you when you’re around 18 months old, and you were throwing down windmills on a Fisher Price hoop. You got to take us through that story a little Is that an accurate statement and story right there? Yeah, I was three years old when that when that happened. Um I remember being in the family room at the time in uh Phoenix and they did have this like Fisher Price hoop and I just remember every day I was tearing that rim up. I was trying to dunk 360s windmills. I had a dunk contest when I was younger in there. They they actually had somebody come in and commentate the dunk contest between me and Amari Starson. So that was kind of just what was going on. Now, this kind of fast forward a little bit, but when you talk about, you know, that that progression, you end up going all in on basketball postco, when did you start to realize that, okay, this is my love and it’s not just something I love to do, but I can actually make a profession, a career out of the sport. I think it really hit me, I think, going into high school. Um, you know, going to Bishop Gorman, I felt like I had more opportunities going there instead of staying home in Colorado. So, I kind of just felt like I could take this super seriously. I think I could this could take me far. All right. So I also want to ask you going back to your your father and your mother there for your mom to start off with. She’s someone that coached you this entire time and I was reading about it that although obviously your dad we know who he is what he’s accomplished she was the one that almost helped ingrain basketball into you help teach us and kind of raise you up in that aspect. How critical has she been in your development becoming the guy that we now see today. Super critical. I think she played a huge role in you know just my development and overall who I am as a person and player. Um growing up we always did fundamentals. We couldn’t shoot threes cuz we weren’t strong enough when we were younger. So, she forced us to shoot floaters, mid-range, just work on fundamentals. We do shell drill all day. Uh we do defensive slides full court every practice and that’s just kind of how it was. We were super fundamental as a team growing up and I always credit her for my IQ. Uh she played point guard so I felt like I learned a lot from her. If I were to ask you the biggest lessons you’ve learned as a person or on the court from your mom and then from your dad, what would those answers be? Just don’t take anything for granted. Don’t take any moment moment for granted. Always enjoy the time that you have here because it you never know how long it’s going to be. So just enjoy every moment of life. It also kind of sounds like now you can correct me if I’m wrong here, but it sounds almost as if your mom and dad were still pretty open, letting you pursue whatever it is, not forcing basketball. I’m sure they love watching you play basketball. They love that sport the most, but they seem to have been open. How big was that for you in terms of your development, just choosing what you actually love to do? Uh, super big. I think for them they always just wanted me to do something that I love whether that was in sports or outside of sports cuz I had a lot of interest outside of sports as well. So I felt like they kind of just let me be me and same for my brother and I kind of just feel like that’s just like a family principle. Well, let’s hop into your brother Jackson Richardson for those that are not familiar yet. He has a fivestar crew in 2026. He’s down to a top 10 at this point in time. But I just had to stop real quickly with that part right there. He’s down to a top 10. No Michigan State’s in there. Were you a little bit surprised by that or what’s going on with that? I mean, he doesn’t have an offer from Michigan State. A lot of people were surprised by that. Um, but he he just never had an offer, so he couldn’t put him in there. All right. Now, in terms of him, you you’re growing up with your brother, another very, very talented player. You got to play with each other in high school. How incredible has it just been having somebody where you have a brother that’s just as good of you as you are, able to compete on the highest level and grow up alongside him. How special has that been? It’s special. I mean, it took him a while to get to this point, right? um for him he never really at first he really he didn’t like basketball. He was more of a you know nature guy. He’s going to go outside. He’s going to collect rocks. Okay. And that’s just who he was growing up. And I think he really started falling in love with it once he got to high school and realized like I can compete with these top guys. I could be here. I can, you know, be one of the top players. So once we got into high school with each other, I think we just pushed each other every single day in practice in workouts. And I just kind of felt like it’s another another person to grow up with like raised with. So, just trying to teach him everything I can. Your favorite memory you’ve created with him on the basketball court so far. What is it? I think it’s every time I haven’t thrown a lob, he’s always yelled at me. So, I mean, every single chance I would have to throw a lob, I probably didn’t throw it as fast or as quick as he wanted to. So, I definitely got yelled at a couple times on the court by him. But, um, just having that relationship on the court, I know I could joke with him. I know I could tell him things. And, you know, just having another family member on the court, it’s special. All right. All right. If you guys were to go play oneonone right now, who’s winning the game? Me still. I’m big brother for a reason. Um, but he’s getting closer. He’s getting a lot closer than what he used to, but it’s it’s getting close, but it’s still me. Has he ever beat you in a game or at least been very competitive in a game? There was one game I won by like two points. This was like year ago. Yeah. End in an argument cuz he thought I was cheating. But all right, so we’re talking the future now. You know, obviously he’s got the projection. and he’s still got a long way to go, a lot of steps to go until he’s at that point. But, you know, I’m sure in the back of your mind, you probably have to think about the idea of possibly either being on the same team or matching up with each other in the NBA one day. How surge be if that comes to fruition? Super surreal. Um, having somebody in your family also do it that’s also on the court as you at the same time. I mean, with me and my dad already felt special, but to, you know, have a third family member in the NBA would be super special. and then sharing that court or possibly being on the same team with him. It would be insane. All right. So, I also now want to discuss your dad, Jason Richardson. Obviously, he’s got so much experience. He played in the NBA for a long time. He had so much experience in that regard. At Michigan State, he knew what it was like to play there for for himself. How big has it been just be able to pick his mind, say, “Okay, dad, how do I get through this at Michigan State now? As you go to the NBA, how do I transition? What do I do on the business aspect, the locker room, so on so forth?” How big has that been for you? How have you been able to kind of pick his mind on that regard? It’s been big. Um, I think for me, I kind of call it cheat sheet, honestly. Uh, you know, having somebody that where you want to be at in your backyard. So, kind of just every day just talking to him. Any advice I can take, I’m all I’m all ears. And, you know, just having that resource is super super unique. And it’s Yeah, it’s And he was with me all pre-draft. So, you know, just having him throughout that process, working out with us, you know, playing five on five with the guys that are in my pre-draft group was special. When you talk about at Michigan State, as I said, he’s experienced that entire ropes there. He’s gone through playing with coach Iso. He’s gone through winning a national championship. He’s gone through Big 10 play, so on so forth. What was the biggest advice he gave you during last year? Uh, just expect yelling as a freshman. Um, coming in as a freshman, it’s always kind of like this big deal at Michigan State, you know, uh, when you have people coming in as a freshman at Michigan State, he’s trying to make sure that you know what the rules are here and you making sure that you’re understanding everything properly. So, just expect a a few yelling days from him when you’re not understanding stuff fully. But, um, I kind of just came in with the mindset of, you know, keeping my head down and keep working and anything coach is saying is with love. So, just taking it with a grain of salt and, uh, continue moving. I’ve had on a lot of different guys. I’ve had parents that have gone and played in the NBA or so on so forth. And some guys have the mindset of saying, “Okay, I don’t want to follow my dad’s footsteps. I want to kind of create my own legacy.” Obviously, you chosen Michigan State. It worked out incredibly for yourself. And it felt like there never was a sense of trying to fill his shoes, trying to become your own person. How have you been able to kind of distinguish that say, you know what, my dad obviously went to Michigan State. I’m okay going there, but I’m going to make my own legacy there. I knew for me it was going to be a lot different uh between me and him because he plays a totally different play style than I than I play. So I knew coming in a lot of people were expecting me, you know, try to do things he did, but we’re two totally different players, two totally different personalities. So I definitely felt like it was kind of like this weight off my shoulders and just be myself. I want to go into your high school career and this is around where we started getting to know each other. I know you start becoming a more regarded, higher ranked prospect and recruit and so on so forth. But something happens in your sophomore year. You end up discovering a hole in your femur in your right knee and that ends requiring surgery. You miss a lot of time. I want you to just kind of go through this experience because this was a surgery. Now, correct me if I’m wrong here that it could have been career altering, could have been career-threatening here. Wait, just take us through all that went down, how it got discovered, and just the recovery process there. Uh, it was super tough process just going through it all. Um, I’m so grateful for it every day. I kind of felt like it made me the person I am today and made me the hard worker that I am today. Uh just going through the process. I remember just a lot of tough days, tough nights. I’m crying because I don’t think I can get to the p player that I was and just if I’m ever going to come back 100%. And it was just really tough for me. Um when I first got it, I had I had to wait for somebody around my age to die to get um it it fixed. And it’s just kind of a sad process to go through and think about that. So, you know, just going through all that. It kind of just made me, you know, mentally mentally tougher. I believe you were playing with it for quite a while up until you finally got discovered and it checked out and everything. Was it painful for yourself or how did you deal with that aspect? I never knew I I had it actually, which is the crazy part. So, I went through the whole my whole freshman year and sophomore year with no pain. And so, I’m thinking everything’s 100%, everything’s fine. And then they ended up doing that MRI and they found it. And it was just like shocking to hear. I’m thinking I’m at 100%. And turns out I could have blown out my whole knee and I didn’t know. So, it was your freshman and sophomore year that you were playing with a hole in your knee basically. Yes. And it was just finally hearing that after going two whole years on playing on it is just was crazy. So was there ever pain? I mean like significant pain. I’m sure there’s always the aches or whatever it was, but was there ever significant pain where you kind of were like, “Okay, something does not seem right.” Or were you pretty much thinking all was okay? I’m thinking it was fine. My knee would swell from time to time, but I’m thinking this overplaying and overuse. Sure. and I wasn’t thinking much of it. And then going through it and then looking back at everything, knowing what I know now, there was definitely some triggers. All right. So, what was the official triggering point for yourself when you said, “Okay, I got to get something checked out. We’re going to get the MRI.” What led to that? Uh, I got hurt in um a regional final game. I ended up somebody landed on my uh leg. I kind of hyperextended my knee and my parents are like, “Let’s just go, let’s go get an MR to be on the safe side because it’s been swelling all season.” And this was right before my state championship and the surgeon ends up calling my parents before my state championship. Shut him down. He can’t play. He cannot play in this game. And they didn’t tell me this. So, they were hoping I won the state championship. We ended up losing and then they ended up telling me that and then it just kind of felt like just downhill from there. All right. All right. So, you’re presented with what your pretty much your only option is then to have a surgery. Has not been done for too many years and it’s obviously in a sense a risk especially for somebody like yourself that wants to play at the highest level of basketball. What’s going through your mind at that point in time? A lot of emotions. Uh anger, sadness, frustration. Um, I kind of felt like for me it was a it was a big summer 16 year uh 16 year year because this is the first time college coaches could start calling you and I wasn’t getting a lot of calls from you know schools I wanted to get calls from and it was just kind of deflating for me and I ended up at the time of rankings going down and at 16 years old that’s a big deal to you your rankings dropping coaches aren’t calling so it’s just kind of frustrating for me but I knew that I had a great support system throughout this process with with my parents, uh, recovery team, teammates. So, just going through the process, I knew I had to come back 100% stronger. Was there ever a moment, maybe multiple, where you talked with your mom and dad, your inner circle, and was like, “Okay, I don’t know if I can keep doing this.” Oh, too many times to count. I told my mom like three or four times I wanted to quit. And she told me quit. Like, she said, “Go ahead, quit.” And I’m thinking I’m going to get coddled and tough love. But um you know I that kind of just reset me and told me I need to keep working. I need to get back to the point I need to get to. When you finally locked in and said, “Okay, you know what? I’m just going to have to make it through this recovery process.” What was the turning point? Do you remember? Was there a certain moment you said, “Okay, I see that I kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel. I see myself being able to get out of this. I see myself being able to bounce back.” And if so, what was that moment? I think getting back on the court. Okay. Um, it took about seven, eight months for me to get back on the court and like start moving without, you know, not jogging or anything like that. So, I think when I first got on the court and I first start jogging and jumping again, I think that’s really when it hit me and I just realized like I’m almost at the home stretch and I just need to keep working. As I said, this was a surgery that there was no guarantees. It’s up in the air as to whether or not it’s going to be successful and you can go out there and play at a high level again. Is that something that you were able to find out at the point of when the surgery was done? You were able to go through recovery. Was this not something you didn’t know up until, you know, you started playing again or when did you realize that? They waited to tell me. Okay. So, if the bone didn’t give, I would have been done. And I’m glad they didn’t tell me that in the beginning cuz I would have been panicked if they would have told me that. So, I kind of just went through the process without knowing that. And they’re watching every single step. I’m like, I’m okay. But, you know, they were trying to make sure that everything was functioning right. When you talk about that moment and your point in your life, if I were to come back and say, “Hey, you know, in a couple of years, you’re going to be a first round NBA draft pick playing for Orlando Magic.” How would you have reacted that moment? I wouldn’t believe you. Okay. At all. So, I always kind of tell myself that just three or four years ago, you were on crutches hoping that you could play basketball the same way and now you’re fulfilling your dream of playing in the NBA. So, it’s kind of just surreal to me. Obviously, nobody ever would want to go through those experiences, but if you look back in hindsight now, going through that tough, that difficult of a season of your life at that young of an age, how much has that more equipped you now for whatever might come your way throughout the remainder of your life and career? I definitely needed something like that in my life, honestly. I mean, it was, you know, a tough process, but I I felt like it made me a lot more stronger just mentally, and just that time away from basketball makes you realize how much you love the game. and you know having the game taken away from you 10 11 months you really start to miss it. So I came back with a newfound love for basketball. Not saying that I didn’t love it before. I just found a new a stronger love for it and just made me realize what my goals were and I wanted to achieve them. All right. So senior year rolls around. You end up transferring going out to California or out to Florida and you end up playing with quite the roster. You have the Boozer Twins and you have the Richardson brothers together. This was a very special team. For anybody that did has not watched some of those games, you guys were very special. guys go out there 274 record, state champions, Geico, all the different things happened that year for you guys. When you talk about that year, what first originally led to you transferring out there? It was actually uh my brother. Okay. He was at USA camp with Cam and Kaden and he told him that yeah, we were probably going to transfer and look for a different school. And they’re like, just come check out Columbus. Okay. So, I got a call from EYB. My brother’s like, you want to go check out Columbus? I was like, yeah, we can go check it out. And so we kind of went down there as a family, just checked out the school, ended up working out with the team, and we just kind of felt like this this is a good spot for us. That has to be such a surreal experience, too, because as I said, it’s not just four great players. Those things happen all the time, but you’re having twins and brothers playing together. It’s a very unique thing. I’m not sure how much I can think of the back of my mind. I know the Moby brothers were some of the most recent ones I remember. For you guys to have that experience, though, where you have two brothers playing together and being dominant, how special was that? I mean, it feels like automatic team chemistry, honestly. You know, you got two two two families basically on the court together. And it kind of just it was special. Honestly, I think that team was super special. Um guys like Malik and Randy who, you know, were underrated at the time. They were playing really good and just having guys like that and then the crew that we had, it was a super special team. What was your favorite memory from that senior year? I think state championship was one of them. It was a super close game. Ended up going to overtime. Um, Hoopaul Classic. I just felt like that’s when we really found our footing as a team. And me personally, I kind of felt like that was me being at my at my best in high school. So, I think those two moments. All right. Well, I want to hop into your high school recruitment now because as you said, it obviously was a little bit different for yourself with your being out for so long. It obviously delayed your recruitment, dropped rankings a little bit. There was a whole lot of stuff happening. Had all that stuff not gone down, you probably should have been a top five or top, you know, fivestar recruit on every single recruiting side, but you’re top 40 in all of them, you end up choosing Michigan State over Alabama, Cincinnati, and others involved. Walk us through this process. When you get healthy, you finally got to start talking to coaches. What was it about Michigan State that ended up winning you over? I think going through my process when I cut my list, I kind of stuck with the schools that stuck with me. uh, you know, the coaches that called me throughout the process when I was still hurt and, you know, checking off on me, making sure my recovery is going great. So, I kind of stuck with those schools going down and then going to my top three with Alabama, Cincinnati, and um, Michigan State. Uh, that was super tough decision. Um, all three of the schools I really loved, coaching staffs I really loved and it was just really tough and I think for me what stuck out about Michigan State was the family atmosphere. I think the the guys on the team were really welcoming to me on that visit. They called me every day. They checked up on me, making sure everything was going good with me and my family. And then the coaching staff, um, Tom Enzo’s a Hall of Fame coach and I’d be crazy to pass up on opportunity like that. I know you were on Paul George’s podcast a little bit ago and your dad kind of explained the story a little bit there, but to kind of go a little bit more in depth on that. I believe Alabama was a school that you were almost locked into going towards and then everything kind of shifts when you go to Michigan State. How close were you actually to going to Alabama? I told my I told my family like the week before I was going to commit to Alabama the week before I committed and it was kind of Alabama was the leader majority of the way and then I took my visit to Michigan State and it kind of just it just flipped. It was Yeah. So it was it was crazy. It was a crazy recruitment process cuz it was two those two schools were I felt like were really like at the top the whole time and it was really tough decision to make. What was the moment that you realized back in kind of the backside of your mind you realized, okay, this is where I’m going to be going. I’m going to Michigan State. I like Alabama. They’ve been great, but all for some reason I’m going Michigan State. What was that moment? Think my visit. Okay. So, the last last month of my recruitment, I just set up backto backto back uh visits with all three schools and Alabama was first and I really enjoyed it. And then Michigan State was second and it was during grind week where all the pros come back. So guys like Draymond Green, Miles Bridges, Matine Cleaves coming back, Magic Johnson, Jiren Jackson, Xavier Tilman, Max Chris, like guys like that. And I’m just seeing all this all this brotherhood and all this family and all these guys have have played for Tom Hizo. And it was kind of just special to me just seeing everybody coming back and how much he’s done for every single one of them. So, it’s just kind of one of those moments where it’s like I can see myself being a part of this. All right. When you have all those guys come back, and the reason I asked you is I had Jackson Kohler on here back when he was going through this recruiting process and Draymond, he went there on the same weekend and Draymond was the one that talked to him. Did any of those guys sit you down and kind of give you advice, talked about Michigan State when you were on that week during the grind week? Actually, not really. I think I talked to majority of the guys because they’ve all know they all kind of know me as Jason Rich’s son, not as really the recruit yet, but you know, just having those guys around, they were kind of just making me feel welcome. When you went and said, “Okay, Michigan State’s my school and you’re going to commit to the school.” How did you tell Tom Mizo? I called him. Okay. I called him that day like hour and a half before. So, nobody knew where I was going at first. I called him and he was kind of just sitting in his office. I told him I wanted to come to Michigan State and his jaw dropped. I don’t think he believed I was coming here and he he was so excited. He he said, “I promise I won’t let you down. You made a great decision coming here. We’re going to do some big things.” And I just remember just the smile on his face. He looked very happy. It was just pure joy. All right. Now, I want to ask about the NIL aspect because you were part of this transitioning in a college era. There’s so much stuff going down now. Obviously, this upcoming year, you have shared revenue, something that you obviously didn’t get much of last year, but with that now in place, when it comes to NIL and the high school recruiting process, how much of an impact did that have on yourself? Do you look at that? Do you have your, you know, your dad or your agent or whatever it is kind of looking at that or how did you approach the NIL aspect in college? I think NIL for me had zero impact, okay, on where I was going. I just want to go to a school where I can make an impact as a freshman and you know play um coaching staff was going to develop me and I just felt like I had great guys in my circle and and around me on the team. And the reason I ask you the other question too is that I know some guys are hands-on with their you know the NIL packages and all the different things. Some guys have their parents or the agents whatever it is take care of it. Were you involved at all in any of the NIL stuff or did you kind of hand that off to somebody else? No, I wasn’t really paying attention to that. Okay. I think my main focus would just go out there and play basketball. Uh for me, I always always kind of put that to the side. I always I just want to play basketball. I love the game so much. I I would have went out there and not got paid and played college basketball cuz I just love the game so much. When you talk about NIO, do you feel like there is some guys that do put too much of an emphasis on it and end up getting themselves into bad situations because they value the business, the money aspect above just what’s happening on the court? Yeah, I think so. I think uh you know some people now are just making you know not the best decisions for theirelves as players but more in the aspect of how much money they’re getting. So just you know for me I always try to go through the process and make sure I was making the right decision for me as a player and worry about all the other stuff later. You know there is obviously legal stuff happening that people are trying to enforce now up onto the NIL scene in college sports. I know it’s still work in progress there but you were someone that actually was in the experience there. if you could make changes, if any, what would they be to help kind of make college basketball a little bit more structured in that regard? Uh, I think maybe think you got to put a rule on maybe transferring. I think I think uh that’s playing a huge role now. A lot of guys transferring, you know, just possibly for money now. So, maybe just putting a cap on that. Maybe you get one or two transfers and you got to be done or something like that. And then other than that, I think yeah, I think that’s really it right now. So you’d say for some guys, I’m not going to list any names, but those guys that play at four or five schools that that probably some of the stuff you’re kind of talking about that probably shouldn’t be happening then. Yeah, definitely. I definitely feel like it’s kind of just taken away from you, you know, for me going through the high school process. It’s not the same now. A lot of these kids got to wait and see what the transfer portal is. And it’s kind of unfair to the high school kids because now they got to see where they stack up against you know guys that have you know 24 year old 24 25 now. So could you ever imagine I think from my aspect I see some of these guys that have been transferring even dating back to high school where you they’ve been playing at three or four high schools as well almost transferring for six seven eight years straight. Is that something you could ever even imagine yourself doing? I don’t think I can find a flow. I agree. You know what school I’m at if I can do that. It just seems difficult because it feels like you’re just going from team to team and you have a different identity at every single team. So, I kind of feel like it’s difficult to find a rhythm. Something that is unique about Michigan State is that Tom Iso has started to utilize the portal a little bit. Obviously, not as much as some other programs do. And the large reason for that is he’s able to retain so many guys. Obviously, some guys move on. I know we just saw Trey go to NC State and those type of things, but something about the program, he keeps guys there and he almost somehow manages to keep it a lot like it was 10 years ago or whatever it might be. How does he do that? How does coach Tom Mizo build such a unique culture at Michigan State? I think for coach, one thing he does is he doesn’t he’s not a liar. That’s one thing about coach. He comes in and he’s realistic with you. He’s going to tell you what your role is. he’s going to tell you where he’s going to use you on the depth chart and you know who you are going to be on this team. And I think a lot of the guys at Michigan State, they really do know their roles and you know they know what they’re going to be. So I think that’s kind of one thing and I feel like everybody last year was really happy with their role and you know we I think that’s why we’re such a great team. Everybody kind of just bought in to winning. That is unique because I know a lot of coaches out there will promise a lot of things whether that be minutes, rolls, whatever it is to some guys. That doesn’t end up happening. For yourself, obviously, you went in there, you started the season off the bench, you become the start of the second half of the year. But what was your expectation when you talked to coach in the recruiting process or even right before that season started? What was his expectation for you in your freshman season? He was telling me that I was going to play, but I was going to come off the bench and I already knew what that I already knew that coming in. So, I didn’t have a false sense of where I was at. So I knew I had to work my way up. I had to earn his trust. I had to earn my teammates trust coming in. So I just constantly kept working and coach kept gaining more trust in me every single game and then it just led up to me starting. So coming in I knew what what it was going to be and I just knew I had worked. Do you feel like how productive you were in your freshman season? Did do you think that shocked coach Iso to any extent? I think yes it definitely did. We had a team meeting. He actually said, “Did I expect Jayce to be this good?” “No, I did not.” So, um, just kind of coming in, I knew, um, for me the way to get minutes was to be as efficient as possible and play defense. And I think if I hung my head on those two things, I was going to be able to keep getting minutes. Now, how about for yourself? Did you in the back of your mind ever expect to have the season that you had? Absolutely not. I came in with the mindset of um try to do as good as possible this year to set myself up for possibly leaving my sophomore year. Really? So, you didn’t expect to go one and done then? No, I did not expect that at all. I didn’t come in with the mindset of being one and done. I was thinking I was going to be in college for a little bit longer than any. Well, I have to ask you this question then. At what point did you start to realize, holy cow, I might actually have a chance of getting drafted in this year’s 2025 NBA draft? I think the run that I had from the first game I started up until Big 10 semifinal. Okay. I kind of just felt like those stretch of games, it just kept making it more believable after every single game on that run and it was just kind of like, oh, I actually could do this. Like it’s possible. What clicked? Because, you know, we go back February 8th rolls around, you’re going against Oregon, 29 points in that game, your very first start. And a lot of people are talking. I watched that game live. I was when I’m like, “Okay, that’s pretty impressive for a freshman to come out here and play the way you did.” But then you continued that run from February 8th to the end of the season. How were you able to go out there and be so acclimated and say, “Okay, I’m not going to play a pressure, but I’m going to go out there and thrive in this role.” How did you do that? I think just confidence from a standpoint for me always going to everything with the utmost confidence that I can compete with anybody or, you know, guard, defend, score on anybody. So that’s just my mindset. And then I think the trust of my teammates. I think my teammates from that game just kind of trusted me a lot more, you know, in scoring and having the ball in my hand. Defensively, I just kind of felt like the trust of everybody kind of just went up from after that game. When you look at the way you play, you play with such a a high amount of composure and also when the big moments arise, whe that’s, you know, the winding down the final minute to a game, you don’t get rattled. It’s the same Jayce Richardson from the start of the game to the end of the game. That’s something that’s very, very rare and I personally think it’s something you can’t really teach. just kind of naturally comes with guys. You have that. Has that always been your case? Did it take time to develop those traits and that confidence or how did you kind of grow in those areas? I felt like that’s kind of always been me since I was 5 years old. Just taking it play by play, not getting too high, not getting too low, and just enjoying the game. If I’m not out there, you know, smile on my face, not having fun, and I don’t look, you know, rushed, panicked, or not excited, I feel like I’m playing my my best basketball. I also want to go back to the role aspect for yourself because you talked about that where you walked into your freshman season not even expecting it to be one and done even though you were a top ranked recruit even though all these different things happen you were thinking you know sophomore year so many guys though go for this false perception and it does happen for some guys that confidence can always be great but you know some guys do put too much of an emphasis on you know I want to be one and done I need to start I need to be the guy and that’s just not a reality for most guys what is your advice then for guys that are coming in as freshman saying okay find your role embrace that do the little things and in the future it could obviously transpire into what happened for yourself. I think the little things um for me always just want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to be the best version of myself and at the beginning of the season it was me being a bench player and me being a role player. So I just feel like for any freshman that’s coming in just try to thrive in your position. try to thrive in your role and just try to be as successful as possible. I want to go back into Tomo a little bit in terms of you guys personal relationship. Obviously, I have to imagine you guys had some kind of relationship before, you know, recruiting just outside of basketball because of your dad. What was what is it like just having your relationship and see the way it grew from that standpoint all the way up and through to where it is today? Yeah, it was it was weird for me at first cuz you know he kind of knew me as just a former Suns player at first and then once we started getting through the recruit process it just felt like a whole different Tom Isizo. So now it’s really coach Iso actually. So just going through the process, I felt like we built a really great relationship going through. And then once I got up, I just felt like our relationship grew even stronger just going through talking to him every day at practice, talking to him before practice, meetings in his office. And then once I started starting, we were watching film together every day just on, you know, games we’ve played, guys that we’re playing against. And I I was in his office two hours basically a day just watching film with him. So, I kind of felt like our relationship was just super strong and I felt like I could tell him things and he could tell me things. There’s very few guys that are able to get acclimated to the new eras. We’ve seen some of these coaches from his generation retire, step away from basketball, so on so forth. He’s always been able to evolve. He’s always been somebody special. And so, I want to ask you what he’s like outside of basketball because we only see the basketball exit the nose and those things, but obviously what he does outside the court is huge as well. What’s like on the personal level? personally, he he’s one of the funniest coaches I know. Okay. Um he’s, you know, always caring about everybody. He’s checking up, making sure everybody’s going to class, making sure everybody’s families are good. Um when we’re with him and spending time with him, he’s having fun with us, joking around with the team, and you know, he’s just overall great person. What is your favorite Tom memory that you have with him? Oh, there’s a lot. Um, I think for me I will say he was in practice and somebody kept messing up the drill and so he stepped in and he’s like pass with the ball and he comes through the it was a lob play. So he throws a no look lob and he walks off like he was the coolest dude in the gym and it was just the funniest thing that we we all we all started dying laughing. coaches, managers, everybody was dying laughing cuz he just walked off like he just won a championship and it was the funniest thing ever. That’s awesome. Now, how often does I don’t think a lot of people think of Tom as the funny guy. You know, we see him and he’s a very very outspoken, very bold type of coach that’s going to yell a lot on the court. So, what is this like this funny aspect of coach Iso? How often does that come out? It comes out a lot actually. I think um I mean the yelling that’s that’s just him. That’s him. He’s he wants to win. He’s super competitive. if he wants to win. And I felt like once we really started getting on a streak and we really started getting in the groove, we saw a different side of him come out. He was more energetic. He he was coming down smiling. He was shooting free throws before practice. So just seeing this different side of coach, it kind of was giving us like, okay, if coach is going to be like this, we got to keep winning. So, you know, just seeing that side of him, it kind of just brings joy in the whole team and it kind of just improves us. No, definitely your guys team last year had something special. Obviously you guys didn’t end up winning the national championship, but still an incredible elite 8 run. You guys had a great run in the tournament, great run where you guys become Big 10 regular season champions. All the different things unfold for you guys. When did you guys start to realize as a team that okay, we can actually go out here and do something special? I think for us it was kind of just a talk we had over the summer. Um I we saw on Twitter, somebody sent it to the group chat um that somebody said that this might be the worst Michigan State team in history. And just seeing all this stuff, people putting us eighth in the in the Big 10 rankings, people not having us in their top 50 of of teams going into the season. So it kind of just pissed us off honestly. So we kind of came together as a group collective and we knew that we had to sacrifice a lot of things to come in here and you know be be a great team. So I think going to Spain was was a really huge piece for us. I think we really connected as a team and we kind of saw what everybody can do and who we can trust in you certain positions. So I think for us going into the season we just wanted to prove people wrong and we knew that we could be a top team. I just think people weren’t ready to see it yet. So, we just kind of went through a season, just kept working. People finally started believing in us and we were like, we knew this from the beginning. So, So, then you would say that if someone came back and said, “This is a team that’s going to win the Big 10 regular season championship. Go to the Elite 8 run before you guys ever played your first game in the regular season that you guys would have said, I know, we know this is going to happen.” Yes. I think we all kind of had this confidence that this was a special team. Uh the first couple practices I think we were all talking about it like we were super competitive. I’ve never seen like a team push each other like that. We were basically nearly in fights in practice just being competitive. So I think we knew we had a special group and we just had to come come together and I think Maui really did that for us. I think that really showed what kind of team we were and that kind of just set pace for the rest of the season. I forget the exact quote and I I couldn’t find exact but I know at some point during the March Madness run, maybe Big 10 tournament run that coach said this is one of the most tight-knit groups I’ve ever been a part of. Something along those lines and obviously he’s been a part of some incredible teams, national championship winning teams, so many great aspects, yet he says something that special about this team. What made it so special? What brought you guys together? And how were you guys just this close as a locker room? I think that all 15 guys loved each other. Honestly, we were going to each other’s houses, watching the NBA finals. We’re going golfing together, go-karting, just all different types of thing. I don’t think there was a weekend where I wasn’t with one of my teammates. And it was just kind of special to have a group of guys where you were hanging out every single day just enjoying enjoying each other’s presence. So, I think that was one of the biggest things for us and I think we carried that on the court. I know that after the summer league, you went back to Michigan State already. You already were out there working out. You posted on your story. How special is it when you just get to go back now and you are one of those guys? You talked about, you know, when you’re on your recruiting visit and you saw those guys come back, how much that meant to you. Now you are one of those guys. What is it like being in those shoes now? Weird. It feels super weird. Now I’m coming back as a guy that used to play for Michigan State and it doesn’t even feel like I was in college. It doesn’t even feel like it was a year ago I was walking on campus as a freshman and it’s just it’s weird to me. But, you know, I’m glad to, you know, always go back cuz Michigan State’s always home to me. All right. So, let’s go through your decision process in terms of actually going to the NBA. I know you talked about a little bit that that run when you became a starter kind of pushed you in that direction, but when did you really kind of sit down with your family, your agents, and all the different people and say, “Okay, we’re going to go to the NBA draft. This is the decision.” What made you make that choice? I think two to three days I just kind of had a conversation with everybody. Coach Isel, my family, my agent, and I kind of went into Israel office thinking he was going to like tell me to stay, like begging me to stay. And we come in the office and he’s kind of like, I got to let you go. I got to let you go try it out. So, it kind of shocked me cuz in my mind, I’m thinking he’s going to tell me to try to come back for another year. And he was just telling me, if this is your dream, go chase it. you’re right there. So, I kind of felt like that was just the the final okay of, you know, me going. Going back to the NIL aspect, was there any package that could have ever been put together that you possibly would have been enticed to come back to college basketball? I don’t think so. I think for me, this has been such a dream of mine and, you know, finally being being able to be this close to it, I feel like it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. There were some rumors, I don’t know if they’re accurate and I saw it going floating around X around the time that you were possibly going to return to college at least were considering it. Was that ever something that was ever having a legitimate chance or did you kind of always know in the back of your mind I was going to go pro, especially after that time as a conversation? There was definitely a moment of hesitation for me just cuz how much I loved the school and just how much I loved Michigan State and my teammates. There was always kind of like that initial hesitation of me like just wanted to be back at back at school and back with those guys cuz I felt like we had unfinished business. But at the end of the day, I kind of I had to make the best decision for myself. All right, let’s hop into the NBA draft process. You’re going through this. Obviously, you end up becoming a first round pick, but experiencing what you’ve always dreamed of doing one day, playing practicing in front of all the different NBA teams, GMs, coaches. What was that experience like? The first one was definitely a little bit scary just going in there because now it’s like, wow, I’m really I’m really trying out for a job in the NBA. So, it was kind of intimidating at first and then once you I had 10 total between 10 10 different teams and it was kind of each one I just kind of felt just more confident every single one. So, just going through the process, it was super fun. It was exciting. I’m going to a different different team in a different city every other day. I’m calling my parents just tell them how fun it is. I’m playing against different guys I’ve seen in college. It was just super fun. Now, the NBA draft process obviously a little bit chaotic. If you were a guy that’s the guaranteed number one pick like Cooper Flag was, you know, you pretty much know what’s going to happen. It’s a lot different. You’re in that interesting range where, you know, you could have gone even a few picks higher. You could have been a few picks back into being 25. You had work out to 10 different teams. So, so many options were on the table for yourself. But when we fast forward to draft night, did you have an idea that, you know, if you were available at 25, Orlando would have win taking you? Did you know this was something that was going to happen? Were you down to a couple teams that truly were your true legitimate options or what did that look like for yourself? Uh, for me, I just knew anywhere from 16 to 25 was my range. So, I was kind of holding my breath throughout the whole thing. And then my agent said, “If you were to ever get to 25 in this draft, you’re going to Orlando.” So, I’m kind of just watching as the night unfolds, just kind of just seeing pick after pick and then we get to the 25th pick. I’m like, “Oh, like this this has to be me. this has to be me. So, I kind of knew it was me already. Everybody from outside cuz we were watching it at my house. Everybody that was outside came inside and that was kind of the initial, okay, this is this is actually about to happen. So, just having that moment with all those special people there, it was it was special. I’m sure at the same time you’re trying to experience a once a lifetime opportunity being with your house. I know you weren’t at the draft with your family. You’re trying to experience this whole thing, but I know in the back of your mind, you’re still stressing out. you’re saying, “Okay, I want to get drafted. What team is this going to be?” How did you balance that? Were you able to actually enjoy the process up until I’m sure you did after the draft, but was it something that, you know, as those picks are going by that you were still able to enjoy that process? Oh, definitely. I think uh for me, just finally being in that position of being drafted anywhere in this draft would have been special, honestly. And then just having, you know, my childhood best friends there, family that I haven’t seen in a while, former teammates, is coach Iso was there, my high school coaches were there. So just to have all those people supporting you, it was it was really special for me. When you get the call, you hear the commissioner announce your name, you’re getting drafted to Orlando. Do you remember what the very first thought that went through your mind was? I’m in the NBA. Like that was I think that was the first thing that kind of went through my mind. I hugged my mom, hugged my brother, hug hugged my dad, and it was just tears of joy for me. Um, this has been a dream of mine since I was 3, four years old. I always pretended to be in the NBA. I used to, you know, run to my closet to pretend I was in the locker room of a NBA team. So, this has just been a huge dream of mine. And to finally hear my name called, it was so special. All right. So, now you’re a member of the Orlando Magic. Your very first opportunity was to go out there and play in the summer league. you did an incredible job out there. But what was that like getting on the very first form of an NBA court in a type of way? What was that experience like? Uh surreal. I think that was the first time it really hit me that I was playing in an NBA jersey. Well, technically an NBA jersey, right? And it was just it was fun. You know, the group of guys that we had that we had during the training and that was playing, they were super special guys. We were having so much fun. Even though we didn’t win a game, it was just still fun to be out there with those guys and, you know, to finally play in a technical NBA game. It was it was amazing. What is the biggest thing you feel like you learned and were able to grow from in the NBA summer league? I think for me, just the pace of the game, it’s up and down all 40 minutes of that game. So, I mean, up and down, I think the first three possessions of our first game, I was just winded because how fast the game was at first. So, just getting used to that pace. I think that was one of the biggest things for me. All right, so I want to break down this team now because you’re going to quite an interesting situation. This is a team that I regard as a legitimate NBA contender. Obviously, we know a lot of guys have put into place. You know, the starting lineup obviously is pretty much set. I know you’re gonna probably play a role on the team in some way, shape, or form, but knowing that you’re going into the situation where you have a team that has legitimate championship aspirations. How exciting is that for yourself? Super exciting. Coming into a team that can compete for the East right away, and you get to add something to that, whether that’s on the court or off the court, it’s just special in any single way. So, whatever role I have to be on this team, I will be that role. So, I know we already talked about accepting that role. You did an incredible job at that, Michigan State. as you now come onto this team, I’m sure you’ve talked to the coaching staff, you talked to the front office, is there a role that you’re expecting to play and what and if so, what is that role that they’re expecting of you? I think for me, just, you know, being a guy that’s able to hit shots, hit open shots and defend. Uh, you know, for me, I’m a I’m a smaller guard, so I feel like those are two things you really have to do to stand out in this league. So, just coming in, if I play in games, try to defend at a high level and, you know, be able to knock down open shots. out of everybody on this team so far, we look at the guard positions. You obviously have Jaylen Suggs, Desmond Bane out there. Two great guys to learn from, but also I think Taius Jones would be a huge guy to learn from, too. When you look at all the different guys on this team right now, have you talked to any of them? And if so, what’s the advice you’ve you’ve gained from them at this point in time? I mean, I’ve talked to Taius every day this week. We’re working out together this week. Uh Desmond was here today. So, just talking to those two guys and just try to get any any advice I can, especially from Taius. You know, he with him being a, you know, point guard, a guy that’s led the league and assist to turnover ratio, I feel like that’s somebody I could really learn from. For Orlando Magic fans are excited to watch you. If you were to give a description of what you will be bringing to this franchise, how would you how would you describe that? Just energy. Okay. Energy. Uh, willing a willingness to win. um shooting, playmaking. I’m just I’m ready to do anything honestly. That’s that’s how I can put it. When the very first game rolls around and I preseason obviously going to be great, I’m sure, but the very first game of regular season, game one of 82, when you step foot on that court and you see your jersey, you see all these different things happen. What do you think is going to go through your mind? I think first probably shock at first, right? And then it’s just basketball after that. just go out there, have fun, compete, and win. I know you know you’re going to be playing all the different teams in the NBA. Is there one team that you currently have circle? If you can go match up against them, whether match up against a single player or a team you’re excited to go up against, a stadium, whatever it might be that you want to go to, who is that game? I I got two. I think Denver at Denver cuz I’m from there. I feel like playing in the hometown will be super special. And then uh I texted Carter Bryant this morning when the when the schedule came out and I told him December 3rd like be ready like so I think those are the two games I kind of just have circled. How sur is that that you have former teammates in Carter Bryant and you guys get to go on the NBA court together. How special is that going to be? Super special because we were talking about this since 17u. you know, the possibility of, you know, playing in the NBA together and then going through college, we would check up on each other, text each other, and then going through the process. It was just great to have another teammate of mine there. And then I called him on draft night after he got drafted and we just we hung out in Vegas during the summer league and just, you know, talking to him and having somebody like that with me on this level is special. Last couple things before I let you go, Jace. One of which is this. Jamal Mosley, he’s an incredible coach. what he’s accomplished, I think, has far exceeded everybody’s expectations when he originally got hired four or five years ago now. But you get to learn from him. I’m sure they’ve had talks so far. What’s he like as a person so far? Really great person. I love him. Um, with him, he’s super defensive minded, so it gives me a lot of Michigan State vibes with him. Super defensive minded. He wants to win. He’s a film junkie. And I just feel like with him, it’s going to be a lot of conversation between me and him because I feel like it’s somebody I can really talk to and, you know, put trust into. So far, as you just gotten to know him, like I said, I’m sure you’ve had some conversations. What does he expect from you? What does he want you to bring to this team when you go out there this year? Uh, my shooting ability and defensively be a menace. Uh, the one thing he’s kind of told me is at my size, I have to be I have to be a pest on the ball. So, I feel like with him, I feel like I can do a lot of that. If you look at your entire Atlanta Magic roster, who is the one guy, it might be Ty St. I know you already talked about him, but who is the one guy you’re most excited to play with and learn from? Definitely Paulo. I think everything he did last year and the strides he’s making, I mean, the way the way we’re talking about him um that I’m seeing, he should be an MVP candidate. So, to have somebody like that around and, you know, to learn from, I feel like it’s huge. Absolutely. Well, one of the final things I want to ask you about is something you just signed a deal, multi-year deal with Nike. That has to be an incredible thing. How did this deal come together? Why is Nike the team you want or the program or the franchise you want to go with? Um, you know, signing that deal, it was a dream come true. Honestly, you always want to be signed to a a shoe deal when you’re when you’re growing up. And then just going through it, I’ve always worn Nike. Love Nikes. I love the Paul Georgees. Love the Sabrinas. Love the Kobes. And I kind of just felt like I’ve been wearing Nike my whole life. Why stop now? So just going through it, I made the decision and it was just it’s so crazy to me that I’m I could say I’m part of the Nike family. Was there any other company that you were legitimately looking at or was it all along when Nike presented the offer? You said, “Okay, I’m going Nike.” I was looking at Adidas as well and Jordan. Okay. cuz I wore Jordan in uh high school and I used to wear Adidas when I played um AU for uh Chanty Bips program when I was growing up, right? So, just kind of going through that and just making a decision. I love it. Well, Jace, I’ve got one final question for you. It’s a question that I like wrapping up every interview with and that is talking about your legacy. one day, you know, you’re just getting started in your NBA career, but one day when you put the ball down in the future, what is it that you want people to remember Jayce Richardson Jace Richardson for for what he’s accomplished both inside and outside of the basketball court? I think somebody who was a great person in the community, helped out in the community, somebody who left an impact on the game of basketball. I love that. Well, Jace, congratulations, man, on everything. I’m excited to see what God’s got in store for you, and I appreciate you for taking time to come on today, man. Appreciate you for having me. Of course. You’re always welcome on, man. God bless. Thank you.

This is a conversation from The SchuZ Show where Jase Richardson Talks Orlando Magic, NBA Draft, Tom Izzo, Michigan State, Soccer, Knee Injury & More.

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F.J.T.F.O.E. — First Jesus Then Family Over Everything.
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Chapters:
00:00:00 – Introduction to Jace Richardson
00:05:08 – Family Influence and Basketball Fundamentals
00:08:46 – Future Aspirations and Family Legacy
00:12:02 – Overcoming Challenges and Recovery
00:15:41 – Moments of Doubt and Resilience
00:23:10 – Michigan State Brotherhood
00:33:30 – Freshman Year Reflections
00:36:40 – Coach Izzo’s Influence
00:44:28 – NBA Draft Experience
00:48:12 – Joining the Orlando Magic
00:52:47 – Jace Richardson’s Legacy and Closing Remarks.