The New York Knicks confirmed on Tuesday on their official website that former four-time All-Star guard Michael Ray Richardson has died of prostate cancer at the age of 70.

According to ESPN, Richardson was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, but his condition deteriorated rapidly, ultimately leading to his death on November 11 at his home in Lawton, Oklahoma.

Regarding Richardson's passing, the Knicks wrote on their official website: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Knicks guard Michael Ray Richardson. As one of the toughest defensive players of his era, this four-time NBA All-Star made a tremendous contribution to the Knicks during his four seasons with the team. Our deepest condolences go to his family, friends, and teammates."

About Michael Ray Richardson

Richardson was born on April 11, 1955, in Lubbock, Texas. He was 1.96 meters tall, weighed 86 kilograms, played as point guard, but could also play as a shooting guard. His son, Amir, is a Moroccan international defensive midfielder, who is currently playing for Fiorentina and holds American, French, and Moroccan citizenship.

Richardson attended the University of Montana, where he played for its varsity team, Montana Grizzlies.

During his time with the team, he averaged 24.2 points per game in the 1977/78 season, setting a franchise record for most points in a single season and becoming the second-all-time-leading scorer in Grizzlies history.

These achievements earned him induction into the Montana Grizzlies Hall of Fame in 1995 and the University of Montana Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

Richardson was selected fourth overall in the first round of the 1978 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, beginning his professional basketball career.

During his four-year spell with the Knicks, Richardson was a three-time NBA All-Star, won the 1980 NBA Assists Leader title, was selected twice to the All-Star First Team, and was a three-time NBA Steals Leader winner. 

In October 1982, the Knicks traded Richardson plus a fifth-round pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Bernard King.

The following February, Richardson was traded by the Warriors to the New Jersey Nets (the predecessor to the Brooklyn Nets) in exchange for Mickey Johnson and Sleepy Floyd.

During his time with the Nets, Richardson scored 24 points and 6 steals, helping the team upset the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs.

His outstanding performances earned him the 1985 NBA Comeback Player of the Year award and his fourth NBA All-Star selection.

However, due to cocaine use, Richardson violated drug use policy and was suspended for life by the NBA the following year, prematurely ending his NBA career.

Despite this, he still played for the Long Island Knights and the Albany Patroons , winning a championship with the latter.

In 1988, although the NBA lifted Richardson's suspension, he refused to return to the NBA due to reputational damage, shifting his focus to Europe.

From then until 2002, Richardson played for several French and Italian teams, as well as the Croatian team KK Split.

During this period, he won the FIBA Winners' Cup with Virtus Bologna in the 1989/90 season.

He also won the French LNB Elite League Group A championship with Olympique Antibes in 1995.

After retiring, Richardson returned to Albany Patroons as head coach from 2004 to 2007.

However, he was suspended in March 2007 for making homophobic and anti-Semitic remarks.

After his suspension ended in May 2007, Richardson settled in Oklahoma City after being appointed head coach of the Oklahoma Cavalry.

During his tenure, he was fired for getting into conflicts with others several times while defending his players, but was rehired the following December.

Later, after the team moved to Lawton and was renamed the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry, Richardson remained as their head coach.

As head coach of the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry, Richardson led them to three consecutive championships, winning two Continental Basketball Assciation (CBA) championships and one PBL championship, and was named CBA Coach of the Year in 2010.

In August 2011, Richardson was appointed the first head coach of NBL Canada team London Lightning in its team history.

During his three-year spell as the coach of the Lightning, Richardson led the team to two NBL championships and was named NBL Coach of the Year twice.

Throughout his short but brilliant eight-year NBA career, Richardson played 556 regular season games, averaging 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. In 18 playoff games, he averaged 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals.