Michael Ray Richardson might be one of the best players of his era who has been more or less forgotten by many today.

Richardson came out of the University of Montana - not exactly a basketball factory - as the fourth overall pick. The New York Knicks spent a year allowing him to mostly sit and learn on the bench (coach Red Holzman usually did that with rookies), and then he was unleashed on the league in year two.

For three years, Richardson was something of a terror. He could score, averaging about 16 points per game. He could rebound, with the number close to seven per game. He could pass, leading the league in assists at 10.1 per game as a sophomore. Michael Ray also led the NBA in steals that year, as his height and quickness made him a tough opponent.

So ... what happened?

That's essentially the point of Richardson's book, "Banned." What happened was that Richardson made a new friend around that point in his life. It was called cocaine. The NBA had some serious drug problems on its plate in the late 1970s and in the 1980s, and Richardson became something of a poster boy for it.

Richardson started to do some experimenting the drug, and found that he really, really liked how he felt with it in his system. The guard's game started to slowly deteriorate, and teams started to notice. He bounced from the Knicks to the Warriors to the Nets, where a playoff series win over the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984 was basically the only team highlight of his career.

Eventually, Richardson couldn't hide his problem any more, as he started missing practices and playing poorly. Rehab efforts really didn't work. He made some history in a sense as the first NBA player to violate the "three strikes and your out" policy when it came to drugs, as he was banned from the league for life (with the possibility of parole).

Michael Ray (his first name was incorrectly misspelled for years as Micheal for some reason) eventually fled to Europe, and played basketball there well into 40s. He cleaned up his act over there, and was generally beloved by many of the fans of his teams. Richardson eventually came back to the United States and became a minor-league basketball coach, winning some championships in the process. He also was fully pardoned by NBA Commissioner David Stern, which allowed him to do some community service work with the league. In other words, there's a generally good ending to the story here, and that's nice. Anyone who battles drug addition and comes out on the other side in one piece is worth some applause.

As for the book, the most dramatic parts come when Richardson describes the details of his addiction. There are the times when he moved into an apartment, and a friendly drug dealer happened to be in the same building. They became fast friends. The thought of Richardson, in the midst of stardom, wandering the meanest streets of New York in search of drugs, is hard to shake.

But, the book is on the slight side. Every chapter has something of a testimonial at the end from a teammate, opponent or family member that includes glowing comments about Richardson as a person and player. He has two forewords and an introduction in the book (George Gervin, Nancy Lieberman and Otis Birdsong are enlisted for that job) that hit the same tone before we even get to Richardson.

There are also moments along the way that are a little head-shaking. Richardson seems to have put an interesting perspective on his player career. He put himself on his own all-time all-NBA team, and he claims that the NBA has made videos of his playing career invisible. To be fair, if your teams win one playoff round in a career, you probably aren't going to pop up on the NBA Network very often.

Meanwhile, Richardson had trouble getting along with coaches during his playing days, and notes that later on as a coach he often would explode and get thrown out of games. Along the way, he didn't seem to take his wedding vows too seriously at most points in his life. Michael Ray says he's in a good place with family right now, although it sounds like Thanksgiving dinner might be an interesting time.

It's tough to put all of those pieces together, but Richardson comes across in "Banned" as someone has tried to be the most part to be a good player and a good teammate over the years. It just hasn't worked out at times. He's developed some loyal friends along the way, which says something about him. After reading it, you'll understand how Michael became something of a poster boy in the NBA of the 1980s for unfulfilled potential.

Want to start with thanking Skyhorse Publishing, Michael Ray Richardson and NetGallery for the ARC to read for a honest review.

I was born in 1981 and grew up a huge Reggie Miller and Indiana Pacers fan. I knew the guys of the late 80's/early 90's. MJ, Magic, Shaq, etc. Will admit, I knew nothing about Michael Ray Richardson. before reading this book.

Overall the book is a very good read. Michael makes it a easy entertaining read. Aside form the drug stuff, it's interesting to read about how the NBA was back then compared to the mega stars of today with highlights on twitter and games on tv every night.

An interesting autobiography of a player I knew little about other than a 2000 Documentary narrated by Chris Rock Entitled "Whatever Happened to Michael Ray?"

Michael Ray Richardson (he did clarify in the book that is the correct spelling of his name; though all official NBA documents list him as "Micheal Ray.") was a four-time all-star in the early 1980's, when the league was rarely televised games other than the Celtics and Lakers. His NBA career was cut short when he violated the NBA's three-strikes policy for cocaine use and was banned from the game for two seasons.

Michael Ray and his co-author wrote the book in a very conversational tone. While it may lack a little polish, it's akin to listening to a player at the bar talk about his career - though Michael Ray does not drink.

It's a very positive autobiography and he takes ownership of all his mistakes. He could easily claim to be persecuted at a time when likely the majority of the NBA was at least dabbling in cocaine, but admits full responsibility for his actions.

His addiction story is rather fascinating. He didn't even have an alcoholic beverage until his college career at the University of Montana and for the first couple years of his career did not appear to be someone who would develop a freebasing cocaine addiction. While I won't spoil how it happened and why he started using it recreationally, it was interesting getting into the mind of an addict.

Despite some of Michael's bad judgment, this was a really positive read. Nearly 70 years of life have given him great perspective. I'm sure this couldn't be the easiest autobiography to put pen to paper, since he had to relive a lot of poor choices. Kudos to him for writing this book.

It's a 5 star read.

I would like to thank Skyhorse Publishing for providing me an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I do feel compelled to let those who read my review know that Skyhorse does publish a lot of books by far-right authors and provocateurs. If that is not something you wish to support financially, please keep that in mind with regards to this book - though there's nothing remotely political in it nor are most of their other sports titles.

Michael Ray Richardson was an exciting, excellent NBA guard in the early 1980’s before he succumbed to the world of drugs, most notably cocaine. He was one of the first players to receive a lifetime ban from the NBA for drug use, but eventually got clean and was reinstated to the league in 1987. However, he never returned to the league and instead enjoyed his time playing in Europe and coaching minor league basketball. His journey is told in his memoir written with Jake Uitti.

Drafted in 1978 by the New York Knicks, Richardson realized his dream and goal of playing in the NBA was going to become a reality. His description of his life previous to this draft was enjoyable to read. It didn’t have any really shocking parts – was raised by a single mother (although his father was part of his life), saw blatant racism, vowed to make a better life for himself and his mother through basketball and went to college through the game. The only surprise there might be that instead of a storied basketball school, Richardson became a first-round draft choice after playing at the University of Montana. He does look back fondly at his time at the school and his youth before that in Denver.

It’s refreshing to read about a person who became an addict accepting all responsibility for their actions and not saying that this was because of situations, people or other issues beyond their control. He realized that he was the one who gave in to the temptations and did not protest when he received the ban. In fact, later on, he gives the NBA Commissioner at the time, David Stern, credit for saving his life for taking that action. It is also clear from Richardson’s words that this wasn’t something that he just discovered after his low point – he knew what he was doing was wrong, but just couldn’t stop.

It's also nice to see two other aspects of Richardson’s life – he takes responsibility for the failure of his marriages (not all of them due to drugs) but makes sure that he remains a father figure for his children. It was also great to read about his time playing in Italy as he became a very popular player there where people still would chant his name when he appeared at a function long after his playing days were over. It was clear that he relished his time there and felt it was the right decision for him to remain overseas instead of returning to the NBA.

Throughout the book, Richardson is upbeat and positive, despite the addiction that ended a promising NBA career. His story is certainly one that is inspiring and shows that one doesn’t have to take the same path after recovery to make one’s life productive after a bad event.

I wish to thank Skyhorse Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own

I am a fan of the NBA, but I will admit, that I have never heard of Michael Ray Richardson. So, when I saw this in the Netgalley catalog, I was intrigued and checked it out.

Michael was a 4-time All-Star when he played for the New York Knicks (legend Willis Reed was the one who saw him and wanted him), and won several championships as a coach. He played in the NBA from 1978 to 1986. He came before Magic, Larry, Michael, and Isiah, and he played against those greats. He also played against Dr. J!

I am looking at the 1978 NBA draft where Richardson was drafted 4th. Larry Bird was picked at number 6 (but, he came to the Celtics the following year), Reggie Theus was picked at number 9 by the Bulls, Maurice Cheeks was picked in the 2nd round, Michael Cooper was picked in the 3rd round, and the number 1 was Mychal Thompson who went to Portland. Pretty amazing draft, and back in those days, it wasn’t as popular and televised like it is now. Richardson was in his dorm room at the University of Montana where someone yelled to him that Willis Reed is looking for him. Michael than ran down the street to his coach’s house where he got to talk to Willis. How different would the NBA had been if the Knicks drafted Larry Bird and the Celtics picked Michael? Or even if the Bulls picked Larry or Michael.

He was a trash talker on the court, but was able to back it up with his offensive and defensive skills. He made a few all defensive teams during his NBA career.

He did get banned from the NBA after 8 seasons because of the “three strike rule for failing a drug test”. But, after two years, he was reinstated, but he never returned to the NBA as he took playing overseas for a several teams and then when he retired from playing, he coached in the minor leagues also for several teams. Michael has no regrets about what he did, and is now sober. He made a stupid decision, and he persevered. He is very open about it and nothing is left untouched. He also talked about his marriages and divorces, and all of his kids. He takes care of everybody.

I really enjoyed reading about his life, and enjoyed all the stories he told, the friendships he made with his teammates, his overall love of the game, and wanting to help bring awareness through basketball camps.