Minnesota Timberwolves: Top 30 greatest players of all-time
By Ben Beecken
86. . Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. Pooh Richardson. 15. player
- Three seasons with Timberwolves (1989-92)
- Averaged 15 points, 8.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game
- Played in all 246 possible games with the Wolves, starting 212
Pooh Richardson was the first-ever draft selection by the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise, selected 10th overall in 1989 out of UCLA.
Richardson played in all 82 games as a rookie, which quickly became a theme for the 15th-ranked player on our countdown. Pooh played (and started in) all 82 games in his second and third seasons, and was a fan-favorite for his durability and all-around play.
He was a pass-first point guard, dishing out 8.8 assists per game over the course of his three years in Minnesota. But Richardson could score too; he put up 17.1 points per game in 1990-91 and 16.5 per-game the following year. Pooh shot 46.6 percent from the field in a Wolves uniform and 44.4 percent over the course of his 10-year NBA career.
Richardson was traded along with Sam Mitchell (who you’ll also find on this list) to Indiana in exchange for sharpshooter Chuck Person and Michael Williams (already ranked at No. 21).
He never found the same success elsewhere as he enjoyed while wearing Wolves threads. Part of that has to do with the freedom that comes with playing on a bad expansion team, of course, but at any rate, Richardson never averaged more than 11.7 points per game in a single season over the rest of his career.
Richardson was one of the early fan favorites and led the franchise in assists until Kevin Garnett passed him, and still holds the second-highest mark on the list for a point guard, trailing only Ricky Rubio.