Jason “Jase” Richardson II, son of beloved Warrior, pursues his own NBA dream

LAS VEGAS Jason Richardson wonders where the time went It seemed like just the day before today little Jason Jase Richardson II was the toddler who would dance in the locker room after Warriors wins during the We Believe run that captivated the Bay Area in That kid who followed Baron Davis Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes around Oracle Arena became the unofficial mascot for a gang that upset the top-seed Mavericks in the first round Seventeen years and countless hours of hard work later Jase Richardson has grown into one of the the greater part exciting guard prospects in the draft class These days those We Believe alumni are now the ones celebrating Jase s big plays for the Magic at Las Vegas Summer League It s funny that it s come full circle now that he s an NBA player with guys that watched him since he was a baby now watching him Richardson Sr recounted the Bay Area News Group adding with a laugh It lets us know how old we are Born in Berkeley on Oct the same day that current Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy scored eight points in a preseason contest against the Kings Jase was still a small child when the family moved to Phoenix after his father was traded to the Suns But as an avid hoops historian Richardson declared his son is invariably watching Dad s s highlights Jase knows what his father meant to the Bay Area during a tenure that saw the shooting guard average points per challenge and win two dunk contests I ve heard a lot of stories about me being around the We Believe organization Jase now disclosed And any time I come back to the Bay that s when my dad gets recognized the majority so it does feel like home The Golden State Warriors Jason Richardson encourages the crowd to make noise against the Dallas Mavericks at the Oracle Arena in Oakland Calif on Sunday April The Warriors beat the Mavs - to take a - lead in the best of playoff series Dan Honda Bay Area News Group In a world where young and gifted hoopers are treated like prepubescent professionals at younger and younger ages Richardson made sure that his sons Jase and Jaxon did not follow that path The thing is I lived my dreams so I m not vicariously living them through my kids Richardson announced Jase was free to pursue his varied interests He became fluent in Spanish and has dabbled in Mandarin learned to play the piano and the viola He also excelled at multiple sports as the elder Richardson noted Jase was one heck of a goalie on the soccer pitch and an avid lacrosse participant as well It was an upbringing that mirrored his father s Growing up in Saginaw Michigan Jason played saxophone acted in school plays sang in the choir and shone as a football member cross-country runner and on the ice as a then -foot- hockey winger until eighth grade I loved hockey and the only reason I quit playing was that my feet got too big for skates and back then there was no such thing as custom skates Richardson mentioned I was wearing size in eighth grade and I had to give it up Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson speaks during a press conference at the AdventHealth Training Center in Orlando on Monday July Stephen M Dowell Orlando Sentinel Jase gravitated toward hoops as a teenager excelling as a combo guard While younger brother Jaxon took after his father as a -foot- high-flying wing Jase revealed his way as a - playmaker whose contest was founded in the fundamentals It took a while for Jase to get the better of his father on the court It was not until his junior year of high school that beat Jason in -on- I promise you he s going to say No it didn t happen Jase stated with a smirk Jason added specific context his son conveniently left out about that day He was hurt and he was coming off an injury and I needed him to get several of his confidence back Jason declared There were no such caveats to Jase s successes on the high school and AAU courts though as Richardson and his wife Jackie herself a former college basketball sportsman who coached him as a child did their best to aid Jase and help him stand out as a smaller guard As a former NBA member Richardson knew what to expect but also admitted that Jase was on a totally different journey and did not envy the pressure placed upon his son due to his own NBA career They were careful not to veer into being overbearing sports parents Richardson preferred to watch Jase s games quietly in the stands and the couple never made excuses for Jase when he struggled on the court during his progress I never called to help out with rankings in high school or do favors for him Richardson declared If he earned something he got it If he didn t then hey put your head down work hard and get it I ve never hired social media or media to follow him around I let him be a kid enjoy his experience and have his ups and downs It has been mostly ups for Jase since graduating from Columbus High in Miami where the Richardsons now reside He spent one season at his dad s alma mater Michigan State before declaring for the draft and being picked by Orlando where Jason spent two seasons As the lead guard for the Magic s Summer League squad after being selected No overall Jase has displayed an advanced handle and a crafty scoring arsenal I can do a lot of things in that I can amount for myself I can get my teammates involved and I feel like just a lot of different avenues I can get a bucket for the association Jase declared Almost two decades after Jase was the one cheering for his dad in the Bay Area it was Jason s turn to revel in his son s NBA success It still doesn t feel real Jason stated It s still surreal seeing him out there Golden State Warriors' Baron Davis and Jason Richardson embrace as their triumph is at hand against the Utah Jazz in the second half for Challenge of the Western Conference Semifinals at Oracle Arena in Oakland Calif on Friday May The Warriors beat the Utah Jazz - Jim Gensheimer Mercury News