BIO: Daniel Richardson was born in Canberra (ACT)

NBL EXPERIENCE

Daniel Richardson made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 30/8/1997. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Following their 1996 semifinal appearance, Canberra reshaped its roster when Darnell Mee (to France), David Close, Nick Proud and John Gladwin departed. Mee had battled a serious knee injury throughout the previous season and was not offered another contract, spending 1997 in France rehabilitating, while head coach Brett Flanigan retained Robert Rose, Simon Dwight, Ray Borner, Chris Blakemore, Jamie Pearlman, Brendan Mann and Troy Pilon before signing former Sydney import Mario Donaldson and adding Matt Scalzi (via Geelong), Paul Denman and Daniel Richardson.

Richardson (0 points) made his NBL debut against South East Melbourne at the AIS Arena on August 30 as Canberra defeated the eventual minor premiers 92-67.

Richardson (0 points across 2 games) was used only twice late in the regular season and totalled five minutes, remaining outside Canberra’s regular rotation with no injury reported during his brief NBL stint. Richardson had already established himself locally as one of the Canberra Gunners’ key players during the 1990s and was a long-time captain of the Gunners.

His best game came against Townsville at the AIS Arena on September 6, where Richardson (0 points and 1 rebound) collected the only rebound of his NBL career as Canberra defeated the Suns 101-98. It was his second and final NBL appearance.

Rose (23 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.3 steals across 33 games) again led Canberra in scoring and playmaking and earned All-NBL First Team honours, while Donaldson (18.9 points and 4.2 rebounds across 33 games) provided another major scoring option. Dwight (16.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks across 33 games) led the NBL in blocks and earned All-NBL Second Team selection, with Borner (9.3 points and 6 rebounds across 29 games), Pilon (7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds across 32 games), Mann (6.8 points and 3 assists across 33 games) and Blakemore (6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds across 18 games) providing the other main contributions. Canberra finished sixth with a 15-15 record and returned to the playoffs.

Richardson did not appear during Canberra’s quarterfinal series against North Melbourne. Canberra opened the series at the AIS Arena with a 104-93 win behind Rose (22 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Borner (18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals), while Pat Reidy (25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) led North Melbourne. Game two moved to Melbourne, where Donaldson (25 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Dwight (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 blocks) led Canberra, but Reidy (26 points and 4 rebounds) and Darryl McDonald (20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals) helped the Giants win 108-98 and level the series. Game three remained in Melbourne, where Rose (23 points and 9 rebounds) and Pilon (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Canberra, while Reidy (20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block) and Mike Mitchell (17 points) led North Melbourne to a 102-75 win and a 2-1 series victory.

Daniel Richardson played one season in the NBL.