"Wake up call for everybody" - Micheal Ray Richardson opens up about dangerous drug culture that claimed former No. 2 pick's life
Micheal Ray Richardson opened up about the prevalent drug culture in the NBA during the 80s and how it took the life of a former number two pick from the 1986 NBA draft. Richardson, a four-time NBA All-Star, was the first player who got banned in the league because of his drug addiction.
He shed light on the situation during his time as a player while talking to The Guardian. He said that talking about drugs was normal during the infamous NBA cocaine era.
"During warmups, guys on different teams would say, ‘Yo, man, I got what you’re looking for. Let’s get together when it's is over.’ And boom that’s how it got going," he said.
He also shed light on the death of Len Bias, the number two pick from the 1986 NBA draft.
"He got ahold of some bad stuff, That was a sad moment. A wakeup call for everybody," Richardson said.
Len Bias suffered a tragic fate in 1986, the same year Micheal Ray Richardson was banned for life from the NBA. The 22-year-old rookie had an episode of drug overdose and died tragically mere hours after getting drafted by the Boston Celtics.
Micheal Ray Richardson reveals the other addiction problem of the NBA cocaine era
During his conversation with The Guardian, Micheal Ray Richardson also revealed another addiction that was prevalent among the coaches and executives of the league.
"When I was in the CBA, my coach Bill Musselman – he used to get at that bar when the game was over and he would be red as a beat. He would be so damn drunk. But there were a lot of coaches who drunk their alcohol. Back then it was more accepted," Richardson said.
Drug and alcohol use was so rampant during the 1980s that the franchises used to hire private investigators to keep tabs on their players. The modern-day NBA has long moved on from that situation and now promotes awareness against the perils of drug use and addiction among the players and the community.
Micheal Ray Richardson highlighted that in today's world, the bigger issue is not cocaine or heroin but fentanyl addiction, which has been growing at a fast pace.
"Even now. It’s not like it was back in the 80s when I was playing. Because now there’s the fentanyl. Now what they’re doing is mixing all the drugs with fentanyl and it only takes a little – because fentanyl will kill you," he said.
Richardson concluded his conversation by stressing that drugs and alcohol did not discriminate and that Len Bias' death, ban, and several other punishments forced the players to avoid drug usage.