alcohol, crack, pickpocketing and the NBA Finals

But where does he come from? Who’s that guy banging dunks on the head of the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals and playing against Michael Jordan et Scottie Pippen like he’s been doing this all his life? What, is he a rookie? And first of all, who is this? Richard Dumas who turns 54 today 19?

In 1993, long before the Internet, social networks and streaming news, it was not easy to get answers to such questions. The easiest thing was to just enjoy the show. Either way, the answers would come later, this guy – with his jump, sass and versatility – was clearly going to be a mainstay in the league for quite a while. Except that…

Except that Richard Dumas disappeared from the radar as quickly as he appeared there. Rumors spoke of drug problems, but none of this was clear. The only thing that was obvious was that on his talent alone, he should have had a great career… and that wasn’t the case.

Not born under the same star

Not long ago, the former Phoenix Suns leaping winger reflected on his past and his journey with DJ Vlad to lift some of the mystery that still surrounded him, almost thirty years after his most incredible feats of arms. We discovered a peaceful man, but whose life trajectory is both totally absurd and sadly logical.

From his father, a former ABA player called like many other young people of his generation to participate in the Vietnam War, he inherited not only athletic qualities. He also picked up terrible habits very quickly. Diagnosed as suffering from the disorder “ADHD”, a catch-all terminology that designated children with different attention or hyperactivity disorders, in the name of which doctors did not hesitate to prescribe doses of Ritalin, a powerful psychostimulant whose properties are comparable to those of amphetamines, Richard Dumas was very quickly confronted with the use of various substances, in his most intimate circle.

“When I was four or five years old, my father used to make me drink beer to try to calm me down, since I was running around,” he explains.

“At the time, my grandfather also let me light his cigarettes. And then, later on, I started smoking weed around twelve or thirteen. I’ve always had an addict mentality. Sometimes I even took my mother’s medicine. »

For a kid in obvious lack of stability, one could not imagine a worse start in life. Minor thefts, vandalism, he grew up struggling to find ways to channel himself and eventually turned to sport to find a way to put his boundless energy to good use.

“From there, I started drinking every time before playing.”

US football, baseball, basketball, he shines in all sports, but ends up focusing almost exclusively on the orange ball, helped in his choice by a spectacular growth spurt during his high school years. But if he discovers a real competitive temperament and great skills on the floor, Richard also realizes that the more he progresses, the more people are interested in him, which causes him growing stress.

“I didn’t really like all the attention it got me. It put a kind of pressure on me. One day when we had a big game, during my sophomore year, I found a store that let me buy beer. I drank three just before playing, to try to calm myself down. I had a good game and from there I started drinking every time before playing.

And then one day, when I was 18, one of my so-called friends made me take crack without my knowing it. It was supposed to be just a joint, but I didn’t know he put crack in it.

This drug scared me too much, because I had seen all these pictures of people taking it. But after that, I was hooked. That’s how it all started. »

Richard Dumas: the surprise rookie of the 1993 Finals shot down by drugs

The college years, Richard Dumas version

Despite everything, his indisputable talent has several universities offering him scholarships, including Georgetown and Arkansas. He finally chooses Oklahoma State, in order to stay close to his mother, and he crosses the path of John Starks. Lack of distance, lack of framework, his problems climb in his suitcases and accompany him to university.

“When I came to college, during my first semester, I was so happy to be there that I almost got fired for drinking and smoking. I kept partying until they told me I couldn’t play basketball if my grades kept dropping. »

Something to give him to think about, to him as well as to his coach, since with just over 17 points per game he was among the very best freshmen in the country.

“So I had to slow down, but I was still taking drugs. I was even suspended at the end of my freshman year. We had just played against the Sooners, who were ranked number 1 at the time, and I had one of my best games.

I played so well that they must have said to themselves that it was suspicious and they made me pass an anti-doping control in stride (he laughs). I tested positive and had to go to rehab to finish the semester. »

This first experience should have sounded the tocsin in his head and made him realize that he was about to fuck everything up, but there again, Richard Dumas lacked the necessary help to be able to initiate a decisive turn. The temptations were too present, everywhere, all the time.

“As I was the star of the team, they gave me drugs for free. And then, since I didn’t have too much money, I took it easy so that it lasted me long enough. »

During his three years at OSU, his stats only declined and he eventually chose to go play in Israel, at Hapoel Holon, rather than play his senior season before returning just in time for the 1991 draft. After so much time away from the radar of NBA scouts, his rating had inevitably dropped dramatically and it was as he was about to leave the room that he finally heard his name. The Phoenix Suns had just selected him in the second round, with the 46^th pick.

“We had just finished our last preseason game and I tested positive for cocaine. »

“Being drafted was one of my best days of my life, it was the first part of my ultimate goal, which was to win a title,” he smiles even today.

And while he was touching his dream with his fingertips, even before playing his first regular season game, everything came crashing down.

“We had just finished our last pre-season game and they gave me a test. I tested positive for cocaine. I was still taking crack at the time. I even took more drugs than before, because now I could afford it.

I knew they were going to test all the rookies at least once during preseason. I was smoking joints with cocaine in it and it took me at least two or three days to flush it out of my system.

We had gone on a road trip, so I thought it would be fine, but as soon as I got back, I succumbed to addiction, I had to do drugs… and I got tested the very next day. If I had managed to wait one more day, I would have made it. (smile) “

The decision of the Suns and the league is final: a one-year suspension and the obligation to enter rehab. Contractually, he was still tied to Phoenix, but Dumas had no idea if the club would give him another chance.

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