Zach Randolph

Lore & Background

Randolph grew up in Marion, Indiana, and attended Marion High School, 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.

During the 2000 McDonald's All-American Game, Randolph was named MVP, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds. After high school, he attended and played basketball for Michigan State University coached by Tom Izzo. 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.

Reader's Guide

Randolph was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round (19th overall) in 2001. He played for the Trail Blazers from 2001 to 2007, winning the NBA's Most Improved Player award in 2004. He was traded to the New York Knicks on June 28, 2007, and later to the Los Angeles Clippers on November 21, 2008. On July 17, 2009, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.

With the Grizzlies, Randolph was selected for his first NBA All Star Game in 2010. In the 2011 playoffs, the Grizzlies as the eighth seed eliminated the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round. In the second round, Randolph posted a playoff-career-high 34 points as the Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 114–101 in Game 1, but the Grizzlies fell in the second round after losing Game 7 to the Thunder, 105–90. In the 2013 playoffs, 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.

The Grizzlies were then swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs. In the 2014 playoffs, the Grizzlies lost a seven-game series to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round; Randolph was suspended for Game 7 after punching Steven Adams in the jaw. Randolph signed with the Sacramento Kings on July 10, 2017, and retired in December 2019.

Did You Know?

• Randolph recorded his first career triple-double on March 19, 2016, with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
• He became the Grizzlies' all-time leader in made field goals on November 2, 2016.
• Randolph played in his 1,000th career game on December 6, 2016.