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Zach Randolph

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Zach Randolph
Randolph with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013
Personal information
Born (1981-07-16) July 16, 1981 (age 43)
Marion, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolMarion (Marion, Indiana)
CollegeMichigan State (2000–2001)
NBA draft2001: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career2001–2019
PositionPower forward / center
Number50
Career history
20012007Portland Trail Blazers
20072008New York Knicks
2008–2009Los Angeles Clippers
20092017Memphis Grizzlies
20172019Sacramento Kings
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points18,578 (16.6 ppg)
Rebounds10,208 (9.1 rpg)
Assists2,049 (1.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played for five teams over the course of his professional career, making the All-NBA Third Team in 2011 with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also played with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings before retiring in December 2019. Randolph later planned to come out of retirement in 2020 to join the Big3.

High school career

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Randolph grew up in Marion, Indiana, and attended Marion High School,[1] where his coach was Moe Smedley. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Marion Giants to the 1998 Indiana Class 4A Championship Game. As a senior, he again led his team to the state championship game in which Marion High School won its seventh state basketball championship. He finished second in Indiana's "Mr. Basketball" voting that year behind Jared Jeffries, who played for the team the Giants beat in the state championship game and would later become Randolph's teammate with the Knicks. During the 2000 McDonald's All-American Game, Randolph was named MVP, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds.

College career

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After high school, Randolph attended and played basketball for Michigan State University coached by Tom Izzo. His teammates at MSU included Jason Richardson, Charlie Bell. In his single season at Michigan State, he averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over 33 games, with a team that finished with a 28–5 record and advanced to its third straight NCAA Final Four. After his freshman season, he entered the 2001 NBA draft.

Professional career

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Portland Trail Blazers (2001–2007)

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He was drafted by the Blazers in the first round (19th overall) in 2001. Continuing on from his college career, he remained in the power forward position. Randolph's tenure on the Trail Blazers proved tumultuous, and included off-court incidents such as being arrested for underage drinking in 2002 and on-court incidents such as punching teammate Ruben Patterson after arguing with teammate Qyntel Woods in 2003.[2][3] Randolph was not the only member of the Trail Blazers with well-documented outbursts, as the team's reputation as being full of trouble makers was so notable that they were dubbed the Jail Blazers.[4][5][6]

In the 2003 NBA Playoffs, Randolph averaged 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in a seven game series loss to the Dallas Mavericks,[7] during which he twice recorded the highest single game rebound totals of any players on either team.[8] In 2004, he won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, after which he signed a 6-year, $84-million extension with the Blazers.

Randolph averaged 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in the 2006–07 season, which was cut short in March 2007 due to a hand injury. In what would turn out to be his final game as a Trail Blazer, he accumulated a career high 43 points and 17 rebounds. In his six seasons with Portland, he averaged 16.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

New York Knicks (2007–2008)

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On June 28, 2007, Randolph, along with Dan Dickau, Fred Jones and the draft rights to Demetris Nichols, was traded to the New York Knicks in a draft day deal for Steve Francis, Channing Frye, and a 2008 2nd round draft pick.[9] On July 2, 2007, Randolph was introduced at a press conference in New York,[10] where he revealed he would wear the jersey #50. He played 69 games with the Knicks during the 2007–08 season, averaging a double-double, with 17.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Randolph then played only 11 games in New York the next year, before being traded to the Clippers early in the 2008–09 season. In his time in New York, Randolph averaged 18.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

Los Angeles Clippers (2008–2009)

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Randolph with the Clippers in 2009

On November 21, 2008, after playing 11 games with the Knicks in the 2008–09 season, Randolph was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers along with Mardy Collins in exchange for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.[11] During a game against the Phoenix Suns on February 17, 2009, Randolph was ejected,[12] and subsequently suspended two games,[13] for punching Louis Amundson in the jaw. Randolph finished the 2008–09 season with the Clippers before being traded again. In his 39 games with the Clippers, he averaged 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2017)

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On July 17, 2009, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Quentin Richardson.[14] Randolph was selected for his first NBA All Star Game in 2010 and helped the Grizzlies improve despite failing to make it to the 2010 playoffs.

The Grizzlies made the playoffs in 2011 as the eighth seed and eliminated the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round, just the second time the eighth seed defeated the first seed since the league expanded to a seven-game first-round series. The series marked the first four wins in franchise playoff history for the Grizzlies and the first time the franchise won a playoff series. In the decisive sixth game, Randolph scored a then playoff career-high 31 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter.[15]

On April 18, 2011, Randolph agreed to a four-year extension with the Grizzlies worth $71 million, with $66 million guaranteed.[16] Later, Randolph was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the first time in his career.

Randolph then led the Grizzlies to an opening game win in their second-round playoff series, posting a playoff-career-high 34 points as the Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 114–101;[17] however, the Grizzlies fell in the second round after losing game 7 to the Thunder, 105–90.

In 2012, Randolph and the Grizzlies faced the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. The Grizzlies lost the series in seven games.[18]

Randolph was named to his second All-Star game during the 2012–13 season. On May 15, 2013, Randolph helped lead the Grizzlies to victory over Oklahoma City to advance for the first time in franchise history to the Western Conference Finals. In the close out game against the Thunder, Randolph scored a team-high 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Grizzlies were swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs.

In the 2013–14 season, the Grizzlies finished as the seventh seed in the West. Their first round playoff match-up was once again Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies went on to lose the series in seven games. Randolph was suspended for Game 7 after punching Steven Adams in the jaw midway through the fourth quarter of game 6.

On June 30, 2014, Randolph exercised his player option for the 2014–15 season and signed a two-year, $20 million contract extension with the Grizzlies.[19][20] The Grizzlies advanced past Portland in the first round of the playoffs, but fell to eventual NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, in the Conference Semifinals.

On March 19, 2016, Randolph recorded his first career triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 113–102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[21] The Grizzlies again qualified for the playoffs in 2016, but were swept out of the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.

On November 2, 2016, in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Randolph passed Pau Gasol (3,324) to become the Grizzlies' all-time leader in made field goals.[22][23] On November 23, 2016, in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Randolph passed Vlade Divac for 46th on the NBA's all-time leading rebounding list.[24] On December 6, 2016, he played in his 1,000th career game,[25] becoming the 121st NBA player to reach that mark. He returned to the team to face the Philadelphia 76ers after missing seven games following the death of his mother, Mae, on November 24.[26] On January 6, 2017, Randolph scored 27 points off the bench in a 128–119 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. It was his highest total scored off the bench since 2006.[27] On January 28, 2017, Randolph scored a season-high 28 points in a 102–95 win over the Utah Jazz.[28]

Sacramento Kings (2017–2019)

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On July 10, 2017, Randolph signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.[29][30] Prior to Randolph's signing with the Kings, the Grizzlies announced that #50 would never be worn again by another Grizzly, and would eventually be retired in the future.[31] On December 8, 2017, he recorded a season-high 35 points and 13 rebounds in a 116–109 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He made two of his career-high five 3-pointers to start overtime.[32] On December 20, 2017, Randolph had 21 points and eight rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets, surpassing 10,000 career rebounds.[33]

Randolph fell out of the rotation in 2018–19 due to the Kings' youth movement and the arrival of rookie Marvin Bagley III.[34] He did not play for the team in his second season with the Kings and was later traded, along with Justin Jackson, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Harrison Barnes on February 6, 2019.[35][36] After acquiring Randolph, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said that there were no expectations for Randolph playing for the team, and he was waived by the Mavericks two days later.[37]

Randolph's final NBA game was played on March 19, 2018 in a 90 - 106 loss to the Detroit Pistons where he recorded 4 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds as the Kings' starting Center.

Retirement

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On December 27, 2019, Randolph announced his retirement from professional basketball.[38] In a ceremony at FedExForum on December 11, 2021, Randolph's #50 jersey was retired by the Memphis Grizzlies, the team with which he enjoyed his greatest success.[39] It marked the first time the franchise has retired a number.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 Portland 41 0 5.8 .449 .000 .667 1.7 .3 .2 .1 2.8
2002–03 Portland 77 11 16.9 .513 .000 .758 4.5 .5 .5 .2 8.4
2003–04 Portland 81 80 37.9 .485 .200 .761 10.5 2.0 .8 .5 20.1
2004–05 Portland 46 37 34.8 .448 .000 .815 9.6 1.9 .7 .4 18.9
2005–06 Portland 74 71 34.4 .436 .291 .714 8.0 1.9 .8 .2 18.0
2006–07 Portland 68 67 35.7 .467 .292 .819 10.1 2.2 .8 .2 23.6
2007–08 New York 69 68 32.5 .459 .275 .772 10.3 2.0 .9 .2 17.6
2008–09 New York 11 11 35.3 .434 .292 .821 12.5 1.4 1.2 .3 20.5
2008–09 L.A. Clippers 39 34 35.1 .487 .342 .701 9.4 2.3 .8 .3 20.9
2009–10 Memphis 81 81 37.7 .488 .288 .778 11.7 1.8 1.0 .4 20.8
2010–11 Memphis 75 74 36.3 .503 .186 .758 12.2 2.2 .8 .3 20.1
2011–12 Memphis 28 8 26.3 .463 .250 .659 8.0 1.7 .8 .1 11.6
2012–13 Memphis 76 75 34.3 .460 .087 .750 11.2 1.4 .8 .4 15.4
2013–14 Memphis 79 79 34.2 .467 .100 .742 10.1 2.5 .7 .3 17.4
2014–15 Memphis 71 71 32.5 .487 .350 .765 10.5 2.2 1.0 .2 16.1
2015–16 Memphis 68 53 29.6 .475 .231 .796 7.8 2.1 .6 .2 15.3
2016–17 Memphis 73 5 24.5 .449 .223 .731 8.2 1.7 .5 .1 14.1
2017–18 Sacramento 59 57 25.6 .473 .347 .785 6.7 2.2 .7 .2 14.5
Career 1,116 882 31.0 .471 .273 .764 9.1 1.8 .7 .3 16.6
All-Star 2 0 16.0 .438 .000 .000 5.5 1.0 1.0 .0 7.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002 Portland 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2003 Portland 7 4 29.3 .525 .000 .892 8.7 1.6 .4 .3 13.9
2011 Memphis 13 13 39.6 .446 .250 .821 10.8 2.4 1.1 .8 22.2
2012 Memphis 7 7 35.4 .420 .000 .629 9.9 .9 1.0 .6 13.7
2013 Memphis 15 15 36.9 .460 .000 .670 10.0 1.6 .7 .5 17.4
2014 Memphis 6 6 39.0 .404 .000 .610 8.7 2.3 .8 .2 18.2
2015 Memphis 11 11 34.7 .423 .200 .879 8.5 2.1 .5 .0 15.6
2016 Memphis 4 4 30.0 .371 .000 .857 8.8 1.8 .3 .0 13.0
2017 Memphis 6 4 31.8 .422 .143 .727 8.2 .7 .8 .3 13.2
Career 70 64 35.0 .437 .154 .750 9.3 1.7 .7 .4 16.5

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2000–01 Michigan State 33 8 19.8 .587 .000 .635 6.7 1.0 .7 .7 10.8

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Report: Zach Randolph faces felony charge after arrest in Los Angeles". WTHR. August 10, 2017. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  2. ^ "Blazers' Zach Randolph Punches Teammate". Associated Press.
  3. ^ "Randolph, 20, faces underage drinking arrest". ESPN.
  4. ^ "Thugs "R" Us: Looking Back at the Infamous Portland Jail Blazers Era". Bleacher Report.
  5. ^ "Portland Wronged The Jail Blazers More Than The Jail Blazers Wronged Portland". Deadspin. May 20, 2019.
  6. ^ Eggers, Kenny (November 20, 2018). Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball. Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1683582601.
  7. ^ "Zach Randolph Per Game Playoffs". Basketball Reference.
  8. ^ "2003 NBA Western Conference First round". Basketball Reference.
  9. ^ Blazers send off Randolph for Channing Frye and Steve Francis updated June 29, 2007
  10. ^ Knicks welcome in Randolph, may not be done with moves updated July 2, 2007
  11. ^ Clippers Acquire Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins From Knicks
  12. ^ Suns score 140 as Gentry wins in debut; Randolph tossed for punch. Retrieved on February 18, 2009.
  13. ^ Clippers' Randolph suspended two games for punch. Retrieved on February 18, 2009.
  14. ^ "Grizzlies acquire Zach Randolph from Clippers". NBA. July 17, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  15. ^ "Grizzlies hold on, win series 4-2 to stun top-seeded Spurs". ESPN. April 30, 2011. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  16. ^ Broussard, Chris (April 18, 2011). "Zach Randolph to sign new deal". ESPN. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  17. ^ "Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – Recap – May 01, 2011". ESPN. May 1, 2011. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  18. ^ "Clippers oust Grizzlies, win just their 3rd playoff series in 41 years". Associated Press. ESPN. May 13, 2012. Retrieved on June 25, 2012.
  19. ^ Stein, Marc (June 27, 2014). "Zach Randolph to stay with Griz". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  20. ^ "Zach Randolph signs Memphis Grizzlies contract extension". InsideHoops.com. July 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  21. ^ Randolph's 1st triple-double leads Grizzlies past
  22. ^ Grizzlies beat winless Pelicans 89–83 in OT
  23. ^ Zach Randolph Passes Pau Gasol for the Grizzlies Franchise Lead in Made Field Goals
  24. ^ "NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Total Rebounds". Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  25. ^ Gasol has 26 points, 12 boards to lead Grizzlies past Sixers
  26. ^ Zach Randolph gets leave of absence after mom's death
  27. ^ 27 is the most points Z-Bo has scored off the...
  28. ^ Randolph, Gasol shine in Grizzlies' 102–95 win over Jazz
  29. ^ "Kings Sign Zach Randolph". NBA.com. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  30. ^ Prada, Mike (July 4, 2017). "Zach Randolph to sign 2-year, $24 million contract with Kings, per report". SBNation.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  31. ^ "Open Letter to Z-Bo & Grizz Nation". NBA.com. July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  32. ^ "Randolph leads Kings past Pelicans in OT". ESPN.com. December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  33. ^ "Olynyk scores career-high 32 for Heat in return to Boston". ESPN.com. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  34. ^ "Where's Zach Randolph? Vlade Divac, Dave Joerger Shed Light on Situation". NBC Bay Area. November 30, 2018.
  35. ^ "Kings Acquire Forward Harrison Barnes". NBA.com. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  36. ^ "Mavericks acquire Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph". Mavs.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  37. ^ "Mavericks waive Zach Randolph after trade with Kings". ESPN.com. February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  38. ^ Feldman, Dan (December 27, 2019). "Zach Randolph announces retirement". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  39. ^ Giannotto, Mark (December 12, 2021). "Zach Randolph's jersey retirement became a tribute to what he created for Memphis Grizzlies". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
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