Generally, the first time former Orlando Magic players walk into the AdventHealth Training Center, they give the alumni the grand tour and elicit dropped jaws and true wonder as they look around the new facility.
The tour generally goes by the wall leading to the Magic's locker room in the facility, where there is a placard for every player who has worn a Magic uniform. Players usually try to find their placard, denoting their time with the team.
Jason Richardson probably got his first tour of the new building in late June. He was not there to revisit some nostalgia over his two seasons with the Magic, though. Richardson was there to celebrate his son, Jase Richardson, who will join him on that wall this fall.
The Magic made Jase Richardson the 25th pick in the Draft, drafting the son of their starting guard from the 2011 and 2012 seasons. For the family, it was something of a full-circle moment.
"It's amazing. My two years here were great," Jason Richardson said after his son was introduced to the media after the draft. "They've got a great atmosphere with the pride of being an Orlando Magic. I'm just excited he gets the opportunity to experience that."
"To get drafted to one of the teams I played for is a very eerie feeling. But it's still surreal. It's just amazing that he gets to be a part of a franchise like this."
Following his father's footsteps
Jase Richardson never meant to follow his father's footsteps.
The draft can seemingly randomly assign players anywhere. He had a 1 in 30 chance, so to speak of landing in Orlando -- or in Charlotte, Golden State or Philadelphia, where Jason Richardson also played.
As the younger Richardson put it, he was set to go to Alabama before a last visit to East Lansing changed his mind and he returned to his father's stomping grounds. It has really been chance and comfort that has led Jase to follow his father's path.
Still, it was hard not to feel the full circle moment of Jase Richardson joining his father in Orlando.
Both Richardsons shared the memory of the younger Richardson playing on the tiny hoops in the STUFF's Magic Castle playground on the top level of the Kia Center (nee Amway Center).
Getting drafted is surreal enough. Going someplace with some familiarity feels even crazier.
"It's a super crazy feeling. I remember coming around here, running around the Amway Center. Stuff's Castle, I was running around in there doing 360s, trying to dunk. It is super crazy being there as a kid to being an NBA player on the team. It's super crazy."
The work is still ahead for Jase
Jase Richardson knows that the work is still ahead of him. But he has gotten off to a good start.
He had a strong showing in Summer League, scoring 33 total points on 10-for-18 shooting and 3-for-6 shooting from three in two games. He posted a sterling 72.2 percent true shooting percentage. His crazy efficiency from his days at Michigan State. He had the explosiveness and solid shooting that made him an attractive player in the Draft despite the concerns about his size.
Jase may not have the athleticism of his father, but he has all the other skills he needs. That includes his father's steely determination and poise in clutch situations.
Jase has leaned on the advice from his father throughout his career -- even if Jason reported they no longer played one-on-one together after Jase won his first matchup when he was 13. Jason has been his son's biggest critic, pointing out where he can improve and helping him get better as a player.
"When you have somebody who has gone through something you want to go through, you take any advice you can get," Jase Richardson said. "I'm always open ears and listening to anything he has to say and any advice he has to give. He is a really good resource to have. I have a really good relationship."
Jase can now carve his own path
Jase Richardson has come a long way. He has begun to carve his own space. And everyone is eager to see how he starts his rookie year.
There was never a guiding hand to get Jase to follow his father's footsteps -- at Michigan State or with the Orlando Magic. Jason has tried to let Jase find his own path. Kismet allowed things to come full circle.
Jase has plenty of questions to answer. But he is with a team that will give him plenty of avenues to succeed. They are a team that needs what Richardson can give them.
"I think it's a great situation for him. A great fit," Jason Richardson said. "This organization is a winning organization, but they've got the team that's winning right now. They made some new additions to the team to help them free up some space. I think he could not have found a better situation."
Richardson showed that potential in Summer League. Now comes the rest of the offseason and settling in and preparing for training camp. The NBA season is its own challenge.
The son will lean on the father for advice to get through his first season. But he will carve his own path. It will just come in a familiar place and a familiar jersey.
The Richardson family was happy for that familiarity and happy to see Jase come full circle.