A year ago, Jase Richardson was preparing for the NBA draft and had to make the tough decision to leave his home in East Lansing for a potential first-round paycheck.
On Monday, he came back to check in on the head coach that helped get him to the NBA after just one season and hang around the school that he probably wishes he got to spend more time enjoying.
The official MSU men’s basketball account shared the reunion pictures on Twitter.
Jase back in the building today 💚 💚 pic.twitter.com/BTfdiITWhz
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) April 21, 2026
Richardson is in town because his Orlando Magic are currently playing the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. He didn’t get to see the floor in Game 1, but his Magic were able to pull off the crazy upset at LCA. To celebrate, Richardson went back home to hang out with his former coaches and teammates.
The last time something Jase-related was around the program, he had gifted the team his signature shoe and they wore it in a blowout win over UCLA. When he’s around, vibes are high.
If only he decided to play in East Lansing for two seasons, we might be wishing him off to the NBA with a championship parade. We’re not going to play the “what if” game now or we’ll just drive ourselves nuts.
It’s great to have Jase back. This type of stuff is also great for recruiting.
Jase Richardson’s rookie year in review
Richardson didn’t have the most eventful rookie year outside of Slam Dunk Contest participation, but he showed some flashes and the Magic are bringing him along slowly.
The Spartan rookie appeared in 54 regular-season games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in over 10 minutes per game. His shooting numbers dipped a bit as the season went along, but he still made over 35 percent of his threes and shot 47.3% from the field. He has a bright future, but many (including myself) think he could have used an entire year as the go-to scorer.
Either way, he’s getting paid and he’s in the NBA, but this was essentially a redshirt year for him. His Magic are up 1-0 in the first round over the No. 1 seeded Pistons, though. He might be very unpopular in the city of Detroit soon if the Magic pull off the series upset.
He’s always welcome back to East Lansing, though.
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