Jason Richardson was one of the most solid role players in the league during the 2000s. The 6ft 6” guard had a pretty respectable 13-year career, averaging 17.1 points per game. However, J-Rich is more popularly known for his athletic plays and emphatic dunks. The swingman won the 2002 Dunk Contest as a rookie and ended up defending his title the very next year. Of course, pulling off dunks of his caliber is incredible. However, Gilbert Arenas deserves recognition for inspiring his teammate with two of the most iconic dunks.
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On the recent episode of Gilbert Arenas’ show, the panel was asked to reveal their pick for the best dunk in the dunk contest. Rashad McCants began the discussion by shedding light upon Gerald Green’s cupcake dunk.
Arenas narrated a story surrounding his teammate Jason Richardson. Agent Zero claimed that he gave Richardson a dunk idea. An idea that occurred to him in his dreams. Ultimately, Richardson would win the contest and reward Arenas with $10,000.
“I was with Jason Richardson so you know he got invited to the dunk contest and I had a dream. I was practicing the dunk. And I was like ‘Yo Jay, I got a dunk for you. You throw it up and you start with the windmill here and then at the end, you just hurry up twist your body throw it back’. So he tried it… He gave me $10,000 for that.”
Gilbert also helped his teammate with another dunk idea for the next dunk contest in 2003. Without evening practicing the move, the forward was able to pull it off and successfully defend his title.
“Second year, we was talking about windmill and stuff and I was like why don’t you just go on the baseline and reverse it. He never practiced it. He just throws it, watch it bounce, and he said ‘Oh, I got that’,” Arenas revealed.
What’s the BEST dunk you’ve seen in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest❓🤔 pic.twitter.com/bCBKOsw4Ke
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) October 17, 2023
Gilbert Arenas and Josh Richardson spent 2 seasons as teammates on the Golden State Warriors
Gilbert Arenas and Josh Richardson entered the league in the exact same year and were also picked by the same team in the 2001 NBA Draft. Considering the fact that Arenas was a second-round pick, he received significantly fewer minutes than J-Rich. However, by averaging almost 3 more points and 3 more assists than his teammate, Agent Zero was the better player before he parted ways with the Bay Area side.
Jason Richardson has always spoken highly of Arenas. Among the many, he also lauds Arenas for being a high-volume scorer. On a podcast appearance, Rich even claimed that his former teammate has had a huge influence on the scoring point guards of the current era such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and Russell Westbrook.
Apart from narrating a few stories that display Gil’s pettiness, J-Rich revealed how he had a healthy and strong bond with the former three-time All-Star.
