A lawyer representing Micheal Ray Richardson, who...

A lawyer representing Micheal Ray Richardson, who was banned from the National Basketball Assn. for repeated cocaine use, will meet with league officials Thursday regarding his plea for early reinstatement, according to the New York Times.

Richardson was given a lifetime ban, in February of 1986, which can be reviewed after two years. He filed a malpractice suit last week against his former psychiatrist, Russell Ferstandig, claiming Ferstandig asked him to buy cocaine that, the doctor said, were to be used for experiments.

“The NBA, the players’ association and the Nets were partly responsible for hiring this psychiatrist, so it’s only fair that there be a review of this suspension,” Richardson’s attorney, Edward Milstein, said.