Jed Richardson had a pathway to the AFL before he turned his back on football to chase his love of basketball and now the 22-year-old has locked in a development player spot with the Tasmania JackJumpers.
Richardson, who stands 6 foot 10, grew up in Brisbane and played club footy alongside his younger brother Billy with dreams of making the AFL.
But when COVID hit during Year 11, he found himself shooting hoops in the front yard instead of joining classes on Zoom.
It was not until 2024 that he committed fully to basketball, despite interest from St Kilda.
“St Kilda flew me down to Melbourne for a couple of sessions and they flew up to Brisbane to do a couple of sessions with me,” Richardson said.
“But, it just wasn’t for me.”
“I just fell in love with basketball more and more. It’s much more fun and the satisfaction of the ball going through the hoop or getting a dunk, you just can’t beat it.”
His football background has given him an athleticism that has already impressed JackJumpers staff, particularly his agility, endurance and jumping ability.
Coach Scott Roth said Richardson’s potential is enormous.
“He’s a hell of a kid,” Roth said.
“Already he’s very athletic and his ability to get up and down the floor will be a huge asset for us.”
Richardson’s reaction to landing the role was something Roth said he had never seen before.
“He made all of us jump backwards,” Roth said.
“We’ve never had that kind of reaction from anyone, it made us very emotional and clearly he was a mix of excited and relieved to have found his pathway.”
His brother Billy now plays for the Saints in the VFL.
Richardson said it is “probably a good thing we’re not in the same code, now we can support each other and there’s no sibling rivalry.”
The JackJumpers open their NBL27 season on September 21 at MyState Bank Arena, with their first home game at the Silverdome on October 30.
