Zach Randolph has appeared in nearly 1,100 NBA games with five different teams, and by all accounts, the 36-year-old big man has put together a tremendous career. However, Randolph will be forever recognized for his fantastic work as a centerpiece of the Memphis Grizzlies over eight seasons from 2009 through 2017.
On Friday evening, Randolph returned to Memphis for the first time since leaving to join the Sacramento Kings in July, and as you may expect, he was welcomed with thunderous applause from a Grizzlies fan base that greatly valued his contributions to the franchise.
All love in Zach Randolph’s return to Memphis #GritNGrind 👏👏
pic.twitter.com/kJzFjRvMX9— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 20, 2018
Z-Bo also spent some time greeting fans prior to tip-off.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/954515442441256960
And the fans weren’t the only ones happy to see him. Randolph met his old front-court mate Marc Gasol at mid-court for some good-natured pre-game ribbing.
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/954519079087255552
To cap it all off, the organization aired a touching tribute video to Z-Bo after the first quarter honoring his toughness, his work in the community, and his folk-hero status among a fanbase that claimed him as one of their own.
https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/954528396024864769
Randolph averaged 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game over 551 games with the Grizzlies, and together with Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and others, was partially responsible for (easily) the franchise’s golden era. As he continues to age, Randolph’s career could be on its last legs, but his work in Memphis still holds up, and it is completely understandable as to why the assembled masses would be so happy to welcome him back to town for the first time.
On a normal night in January, a game between the 13-31 Kings and the 15-28 Grizzlies would not be greeted with much fanfare, but on this evening, Z-Bo brought more attention to the proceedings, and he earned every bit of it.
