When Jase Richardson was going through the recruiting process, he was apparently leaning toward picking Alabama before Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball invited him to attend Grind Week in East Lansing for a visit.
Jason Richardson knew that was going to be the nail in the coffin for Alabama.
The Crimson Tide didn’t make the same mistake with Richardson’s younger brother, Jaxon. The youngest Richardson and Michigan State were never really on the same page and his dad didn’t want to sway him one way or another despite him and his other son having played for Izzo.
Jason and Jase knew that Izzo was going to do everything in his power to get them to the NBA and make sure they were set up for life, but Jaxon wanted to forge his own path.
On Thursday, he chose the program that his older brother nearly committed to.
Proud big brother ❤️🥹 https://t.co/NITJ4ezwGi
— Jase Richardson (@JaseRich4) March 5, 2026
It’s definitely weird seeing a Richardson wearing anything other than green and white, but Jaxon didn’t want to just fall in line with what his family did, he wanted to follow his own path.
You have to respect that, but you also have to wonder what the conversation was between him, Jason, and Izzo. It was like the Spartans didn’t even attempt to recruit him which could have been decided early on in his recruitment. Now he’ll be playing for the controversial Oats and Alabama — controversial because they’re on college basketball’s unofficial “do not root for” list after trying to get a G-Leaguer to come back and play this season.
Plus, Alabama hasn’t played a lick of defense in years, so if he wants to be in that system, he probably wasn’t going to be a fit in East Lansing. Defense is required by Izzo.
The Richardsons remain Michigan State legends
Despite his youngest son not attending the same school that he and his eldest son did, Jason Richardson is a Spartan legend for what he’s done for the Michigan State program.
Jason helped Michigan State win Izzo’s lone national title in 2000 as a true freshman before averaging nearly 15 points as a sophomore and leading the Spartans to another Final Four before heading to the NBA. He always spoke highly of Michigan State, and his presence in the league probably helped the Spartans land some key recruits over the years.
Jase, too, is a Spartan legend despite playing just one season in East Lansing. No one saw the former four-star being a one-and-done, but he was that good in 2024-25. He helped lead Michigan State to a Big Ten title and an Elite Eight for the first time since COVID-19 hit.
Although Jaxon won’t be a Spartan, the Richardsons will forever be remembered fondly in East Lansing.