Banned: How I squandered an All-Star NBA profession earlier than discovering my Redemption
Later in his life, he turned a star in Europe, dominating Italian leagues and ushering within the period often known as “Sugarmania.” Nevertheless it was in between these instances when issues went south for the stalwart participant. Famously, Richardson turned the primary participant ever banned for all times by the NBA and then-commissioner David Stern. However he’s additionally the primary participant ever to be reinstated after such a punishment. For years, Richardson jeopardized his profession because of a extreme drug dependancy. And all of that may be learn in his new memoir, BANNED, which is out November 26.
Right here under, take a look at an excerpt from that ebook.
CHAPTER 8: “SUGAR”
Ever since faculty, folks have known as me Sugar. It began on the College of Montana and the nickname simply caught. Once I first acquired to highschool, in one among our early video games, I performed rather well. And because it was frequent for guys with the center identify Ray to be known as “Sugar Ray,” because of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and later Sugar Ray Leonard, folks began calling me Sugar, too. In Missoula, all people thought I used to be a particular athlete—candy on and off the courtroom —so the nickname turned a part of me. At the moment, pals name me Sugar with out pondering twice. And I’ve lived as much as it, even placing it on automotive license plates and equipment shifts.
In later years, the identify caught due to my connection to medicine. The moniker was one thing of an ironic one, a commentary on my failures as a lot as my expertise. It’s unusual how the 2 can intertwine on the prime. The height is so near the autumn. Individuals suppose when you get to the highest, it’s simple to remain there. Hell, that’s what I believed! However the exhausting half just isn’t a lot getting there as it’s staying. I’d made the league. I used to be an All-Star. So once I began to do medicine, I believed I might cease it at any time. If I needed to do one thing, I merely did it. It could be the identical with my leisure behavior, proper? However I’d lastly run up towards one thing that was stronger than even me.
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Human beings devour round 180 million metric tons of sugar a 12 months. The US is the most important client of sugar on the planet, as we absorb 11 million metric tons per 12 months. That’s ten instances what we must always. America is a rustic of addicts and folks trying to get excessive. As youngsters, we’re taught sweet is our buddy. As younger adults, we sneak into our dad and mom’ liquor cupboards. Caffeine is one other one—the US consumes 146 billion cups of espresso per 12 months! Later in life, we get excessive on different white powders or devour medicine that make us hungry and wish, sure, extra sugar. It’s an epidemic. The stuff is all over the place.
Sugar comes from crops. Sugar cane wants heat climates to develop. So, a variety of it comes from locations in South America. Traditionally, that’s additionally the place a variety of america’ cocaine comes from, too. Even the world’s hottest soda, Coca-Cola, used to have cocaine in it. At the moment, a mean American consumes round 450 servings of Coca-Cola merchandise per 12 months.
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Every thing dangerous started once I determined to maneuver from New Jersey to the Chelsea neighborhood of New York Metropolis through the center of my third season. Once I say issues like, Our tales are already written for us, it’s due to issues like what occurred subsequent. The mover who took my stuff from Jersey into the town was cousins with one of many largest dope sellers on the East Coast, a man named Muhammad. And the place precisely did Muhammad reside? Whereas he got here from the West Indies, he now lived on the fourth ground of the constructing in Chelsea that I used to be about to maneuver into. I might be a ground under him.
I’d determined to maneuver into Manhattan as a result of I’d gotten sick of the commuting and the town site visitors. I needed to be nearer to the place I labored, to MSG. At the moment, I shake my head. What the heck did I try this for! Muhammad’s cousin launched us. On the time, I didn’t suppose a lot of it. I met new folks on a regular basis because of my occupation, and Muhammad was a pleasant man, somebody who I believed was a buddy. “Cease by anytime,” he instructed me. Some nights, as soon as I acquired settled in, I’d go up there and play playing cards or dominos and shoot the breeze. Simply passing the time. However the satan had a plan for me.
Then, as a substitute of simply enjoying video games, Muhammad began passing cocaine round. That’s once I sniffed it for the very first time. I’d simply gotten again from a crew street journey and determined to offer coke a strive simply to be social with him and his pals. Like I stated, once I first snorted the white powder, it didn’t work on me. I didn’t get excessive. So I attempted it once more, not pondering a lot of it. At Muhammad’s place, he’d produce other folks over, even different NBA gamers generally. Coke was social, like alcohol. Shit, it was like espresso. However once I tried the stuff for a second and third time just a few days later, I acquired hooked. My mind exploded. Then, just a few weeks later, Muhammad introduced out the pipe.
In a matter of a couple of month, I went from sniffing coke to smoking it, which is a lot worse. If you smoke cocaine, it’s known as freebasing, and it’s stronger. It’s like cocaine on steroids, when you can imagine that. However to do it was a course of. You needed to exit and purchase this equipment with the best pipe, a lighter, and different accouterments. When he introduced it out, Muhammad stated, “I would like you guys to strive one thing.” In Mike Carey‘s ebook “Unhealthy Information” about former professional basketball participant Marvin “Unhealthy Information” Barnes, there are a variety of seedy characters talked about. Properly, Muhammad was a type of in my life. He cherished to be round NBA gamers, and he acquired us hooked on him.
Muhammad was an enormous Knicks fan, too. So he knew who I used to be, and he preferred me hanging round. However in contrast to Unhealthy Information, who was a hell of a participant in his years within the ABA, I used to be by no means concerned in any of the felony exercise, apart from sniffing and smoking. I by no means hosted events, bought medicine, or drove it anyplace. My downside was simply utilizing it—which is sufficient of an issue to have! Whereas I want Muhammad had by no means handed me the stuff and that his cousin had by no means launched us, and whereas I want I didn’t transfer into that constructing in Chelsea or rent that particular transferring firm, on the finish of the day I take full duty for my all of my actions. They had been mine, and mine alone.
Since these days, I haven’t seen Muhammad. I don’t even know what I’d say to him if I did in the present day. I’d in all probability set free a worn-down sigh—if he’s even nonetheless alive. I nonetheless bear in mind his voice, the look on his face, heat and beneficiant, however flickering. “Simply strive it,” he stated. “It’s not dangerous. Simply strive it.” Me, being curious, I did. I preferred it. I needed extra and I used to be naive. However even in these days, in my third 12 months and into my fourth season, I wasn’t but depending on the stuff. It wasn’t crucial factor in my life… but. It was simply one thing enjoyable to do, dipping and dabbing, first on off-days then at residence in Denver. Subsequent factor I knew, although, I used to be in it. Unhealthy.
Deep down, I do know that I’ve an excellent coronary heart. Although I acquired into some tough spots, I’m not a nasty man. You get blinders whenever you’re an addict. You’re there, wanting via your eyes… however on the similar time, you’re not all there. Due to that, once I would get excessive, I wouldn’t need to exit in public. I didn’t need to be in Studio 54, the Cotton Membership on a hundred and twenty fifth, or anyplace within the metropolis once I was utilizing. I already knew I’d be paranoid, so I didn’t have to be round folks. On prime of that, I didn’t need anybody seeing me all fucked up. Addicts principally need to be alone.
Later in my profession, once I used medicine, I might both go to a lodge on my own, with a girlfriend or with perhaps yet one more one that was utilizing with me. If it wasn’t a lodge, I might simply do it in my condominium. In New York, I wasn’t but a full-blown drug addict. However quickly, I might go off a cliff. If you get like that, you lose all sense of your self. You change into a zombie. Your solely ideas are whenever you’ll be getting excessive subsequent and for the way lengthy. It’s a parasite and also you don’t care about something however pacifying it. That’s what occurs when the satan has you.
