Michael Ray Richardson's tough journey leads him back to the NBA

While the NBA season may have come too soon for some NBA players and coaches who are sweating and playing hard in training camps to gear up for the regular season, it did not come soon enough for Michael Ray Richardson.

Richardson, 48, who was banned from the league in 1986 for drug use, then pursued a career in Europe, has made a comeback to the NBA as a Community Ambassador for the Nuggets. The four-time All Star, a Denver native, is working at clinics for kids and says coming back to the NBA--and the United States--is a step in the right direction.

"I think this is a big step," Richardson told JET from his Aurora, CO, home. "This is a perfect job for me and I have my feet in the door with the NBA. I hope this leads to other opportunities ... maybe assisting teams."

Richardson's sad fall from grace began with his addiction to cocaine. In the early 1980s, the 6-foot-5 Richardson could control a game with his scoring, playmaking and defensive skills, which made him by far one of the best point guards at the time. Drafted in 1978 by the Knicks, he led the league in steals three times. However, the sadly troubled star said he was with the wrong people at too many of the wrong places and soon, basketball was not a priority.

"If you go looking for trouble, you're going to find it," he said.

On Feb. 25, 1986, after he tested positive for cocaine a third time, Richardson, who was in his eighth season, became the first player to get banned under the NBA's anti-drug program, which was adopted in September 1983. Richardson was angry at the time of his banishment, but he now acknowledges it may have saved his life.

Though he was reinstated two years later after he took rehab classes and gained control of his addiction, Richardson signed a basketball contract to play with Bologna of the Italian League in Europe and chose to rebuild his life there.

"I was already on the right track before I was reinstated; I needed to show everything I was doing for two years," he said. "When I got away, I was able to think about things; I got really focused. Being away made me think of people and life."

Richardson lived in Italy, Yugoslavia, Israel and France, where he attracted a legion of European fans. His NBA nickname, "Sugar," snowballed into "Sugarmania" overseas where hundreds of shirts, hats and towels were sold bearing the moniker.

While getting his career and life in order, he met his wife Ilham. They've been married five years (together for 10) and share a home on the French Riviera with their two young children, Michael, Jr., 22 months old, and 6-year-old Kimberly. While in Europe he continued to maintain his Colorado home. Richardson has three other children: daughter Tasha, 27; son Corey, 23; and daughter Tamara, 18.

"I wasn't angry. I took full responsibility for what I did," said Richardson, who played professional basketball until he was 46. "It was a way to really catch my attention. (NBA Commissioner) David Stern really helped save my life. Unfortunately, it takes what it takes. God has a plan for everybody. Unfortunately that was my plan. I'm still here."

Richardson met Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe years ago while Richardson was in the country to see his daughter graduate. Vandeweghe offered him a position if he ever wanted to come back and, well, last July, Richardson began a whole new journey, closing the circle in his life.

"I'm taking it for what it is. You can't cry over spilled milk. What's done is done. I couldn't give up; I just hung in there and turned things right. Things can always get better if you make that effort."