BIO: Patrick Richard was born in Lafayette, Louisiana (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Patrick Richard made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 28 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game.

After finishing fourth with a 15-13 record and being swept by Melbourne in the semifinals the previous season, a new era began at the Breakers when a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became majority shareholders through Breakers Basketball Ltd, ending the 13-year ownership of Liz and Paul Blackwell. Paul Henare’s 15-year association with the club as a player and coach came to an end, Kirk Penney retired, while Alex Pledger (to Melbourne), Mika Vukona (to Brisbane), and Robert Loe (to Cairns) also departed. Thomas Abercrombie was appointed captain and former Breakers guard Kevin Braswell took over as head coach, with Corey Webster (via Europe), Tai Wesley (via Melbourne), Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns), Majok Majok (via Melbourne), Armani Moore, and Shawn Long added to the roster.

Patrick Richard (via Spain) joined the Breakers on June 18 after spending the previous season with Joventut Badalona in Spain, becoming the club’s second import signing after Moore. Richard had spent the previous five seasons playing in Europe, while also having previous Australian experience with Sandringham in the SEABL in 2013. Braswell saw his versatility as an ideal fit for the faster style he wanted New Zealand to play, saying, “He shoots the ball well, he makes plays well, and he can defend well.”

Before the NBL season began, New Zealand travelled to the United States to face the Phoenix Suns in an NBLxNBA exhibition game. Richard (11 points) contributed as the Breakers pushed Phoenix before falling 86-91, with Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds) leading New Zealand, while Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) led Phoenix.

Richard (9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) came off the bench in his NBL debut against Brisbane at Spark Arena on October 11, but New Zealand was beaten 73-86 despite Webster (23 points) and Wesley (12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals), while Cameron Gliddon (29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) led the Bullets.

Richard (11 points and 3.6 rebounds) appeared in 26 games and made six starts, spending most of the season in a reserve role as Braswell regularly changed his rotations. New Zealand struggled to establish any consistency, winning only four of its first 12 games and enduring a five-game losing streak through November and December. Richard missed both games against Melbourne on February 1 and 3 for an unconfirmed reason before returning four days later against Adelaide. His season also included a Breakers franchise record of six three-pointers without a miss.

Richard’s first major scoring performance came against Cairns on November 9, when Richard (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) came off the bench and made 8-of-9 from the field as New Zealand defeated the Taipans 104-81. Webster (25 points) led the scoring and Long (11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks) controlled the interior, while Melo Trimble (23 points) led Cairns.

Two days later, Richard (21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) delivered his best overall game of the season off the bench as New Zealand survived a 23-point Brisbane comeback to win 85-84. Richard made six three-pointers and provided the Breakers’ instant offence before Abercrombie (15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) hit the game-winning three-pointer with less than a second remaining, while Wesley (10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) produced an all-around performance and Adam Gibson (17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Brisbane.

After missing the previous two games, Richard (24 points) returned against Adelaide on February 7 and produced his highest-scoring game of the season, making 9-of-16 from the field and six three-pointers off the bench. Long (28 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Delany (16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) also contributed, but Nathan Sobey (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists) led Adelaide to a 114-107 victory that eliminated New Zealand from playoff contention.

Long (18.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) became New Zealand’s leading scorer and finished second in the NBL in both rebounding and blocked shots, earning All-NBL Second Team honours and the Breakers Club MVP award. Wesley (14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) provided consistent production, while Weeks (10.1 points) enjoyed the best season of his career and finished runner-up for both Best Sixth Man and Most Improved Player. Webster (10.4 points) recorded his lowest scoring average in five seasons, while Abercrombie (8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds), Ili (7.9 points), and fellow import Moore (7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds) were unable to provide enough consistency as the Breakers slipped to 8-12 in January following three consecutive losses, including a defeat to last-placed Cairns.

Once New Zealand’s season was completed, Richard (to Reggio Emilia) immediately returned to Europe, signing with Pallacanestro Reggiana through the end of the Italian season. The club was fighting to avoid relegation and viewed his versatility and European experience as important for its final games, while Richard said he was excited to join the historic club and help it achieve survival, bringing his one-season NBL stint to an end.

Richard (5 points) came off the bench in his final NBL game against Brisbane on February 16, with Long (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Wesley (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) leading New Zealand, but Lamar Patterson (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) carried the Bullets to an 84-78 victory as the Breakers finished sixth with a 12-16 record.

Patrick Richard played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 26 NBL games.