LAS VEGAS – Jason Richardson wonders where the time went.
It seemed like, just yesterday, 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 2008.
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That kid who followed Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes around Oracle Arena became the “unofficial mascot” for a team 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 most exciting guard prospects in the 2025 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. told the Bay Area News Group, adding with a laugh, “It lets us know how old we are.”
Born in Berkeley on Oct. 16, 2005, the same day that current Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy scored eight points in a preseason game 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 said his son is “always watching” Dad’s 2000s highlights – Jase knows what his father meant to the Bay Area during a tenure that saw the shooting guard average 18.3 points per game and win two dunk contests.
“I’ve heard a lot of stories about me being around the ‘We Believe’ team,” Jase, now 19, said. “And any time I come back to the Bay, that’s when my dad gets recognized the most, 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 29, 2007. The Warriors beat the Mavs 102-99 to take a 3-1 lead in the best of 7 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 said.
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 player 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 player, cross-country runner and on the ice as a then 6-foot-3 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 said. “I was wearing size 15 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 7, 2025. (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 6-foot-6 high-flying wing, Jase found his way as a 6-1 playmaker whose game was founded in the fundamentals.
It took a while for Jase to get the better of his father, 44, on the court. It was not until his junior year of high school that beat Jason in 1-on-1.
“I promise you, he’s going to say ‘No, it didn’t happen,”’ Jase said with a smirk.
Jason added some context his son conveniently left out about that day.
“He was hurt, and he was coming off an injury, and I wanted him to get some of his confidence back,” Jason said.
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 player who coached him as a child, did their best to support Jase and help him stand out as a smaller guard.
As a former NBA player, 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 development.
“I never called to help out with rankings in high school or do favors for him,” Richardson said. “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. 25 overall, Jase has displayed an advanced handle and a crafty scoring arsenal.
“I can do a lot of things in that. I can score for myself, I can get my teammates involved, and I feel like just a lot of different ways I can get a bucket for the team,” Jase said.
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 said. “It’s still surreal seeing him out there.”
Golden State Warriors’ Baron Davis and Jason Richardson embrace as their victory is at hand against the Utah Jazz in the second half for Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, May 11, 2007. The Warriors beat the Utah Jazz, 125-105. (Jim Gensheimer/Mercury News)
