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Former Michigan State star guard Jase Richardson was back on the banks of the Red Cedar on Sunday, less than a month after being selected by the Orlando Magic with the 25th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.

He posted a photo of Michigan State's practice gym on his Instagram story on Sunday, captioning it with the words "always home," followed by a green heart emoji.

The Magic recently wrapped up their play in NBA Summer League, ultimately going 0-5 in the summer session. But Richardson showed out in his two games played, scoring 14 and 19 points in his two appearances, further proving that Orlando made the right decision with its first-round draft choice.

Richardson was joined by fellow Spartan Jaden Akins on the Magic's Summer League squad. He made four appearances, gradually getting better with each one. He turned in an 11-point performance in his final outing, adding three steals as well.

Richardson's return to his not-so-old stomping grounds just adds to the notion that Spartans love coming back to East Lansing.

Spartan legend and four-time NBA champion Draymond Green, for example, comes back to campus nearly every summer.

"Literally, my first three summers in the NBA, every summer I went back to Michigan State because I felt like the place where I'd go and when I go there, I lock in like no other," Green said on his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis," last month.

"I grind, I get to it. And so, that's where I felt comfortable going through my pre-draft grind at."

After just one season at Michigan State, Richardson will now be considered among those Spartan greats like Green who serve as an example of the NBA talent the program has produced. And like all of them, Michigan State will always hold a special place in his heart. And he wants to see it continue to excel.

"I think we're headed in the right direction, for sure," Richardson said last month. " ... The team's really talented, they have a great group of guys. And once again, there's doubt with (this) Michigan State team, and hoping the guys do the same thing they did last year and prove everybody wrong."

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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