From the basketball court to the more serious court — federal court — ex-NBA player Jerome Richardson had one of those very painful moments in life when he had to turn on a very very close friend in a very public way.
By Joseph A. Slobodzian
Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — After 10 years on the courts of the NBA, former Los Angeles Clippers point guard Jerome “Pooh” Richardson yesterday found himself in the worst venue ever.
He was on the witness stand, testifying for the prosecution, and across the federal courtroom was the defendant: his lifelong friend and the best man at his wedding, Rickie Durham.
Richardson was called to testify about an early-morning phone call he received on Aug. 10, 2005, from Durham – a Philadelphia police narcotics officer – warning him of an impending drug raid.
Richardson, living in Los Angeles, was not the subject of the raid. Rather, federal agents in Philadelphia were just three hours from a 6 a.m. raid on East Coast drug kingpin Alton “Ace Capone” Coles, who was living with Richardson’s sister Asya in Mullica Hill.
