When Zach Randolph arrived in Memphis in the summer before the 2009-10 season, he was hungry to make his mark on the team.
Randolph, who was selected by Portland in the 2001 NBA draft, had a superb stint with the Trail Blazers, where he was a vital cog in the system. Then came the trades. First to the New York Knicks, where he could not find his footing. Z-Bo got traded twice more, first to the Los Angeles Clippers and then to the Grizzlies.
After wandering without a permanent home for two years, Randolph wanted to cement himself in the city, which had a southern vibe he had been familiar with since his childhood in Indiana.
"I just want to win. I want to be the first player in the gym. I'm coming here to help these guys and practice every day because they're going to look up to me," Randolph said in his introduction to Memphis.
He also told the media that he wanted to bond with Grizzlies fans. "I love getting out in the community and just being around people," Z-Bo said. "I love talking to people and letting people get to know the real me. Memphis is a nice city. There's a lot of southern hospitality. I want to be more active in the community."
Randolph found his home in Memphis
After bouncing around teams before he got traded to the Grizzlies, Z-Bo found his home in Memphis. He would play out his contract and sign two extensions to stay with the team until the end of the 2016/17 season.
That extended stay made Zach a legend in the city. He was the de facto starting power forward during those years. He even became an All-Star for the franchise, emerging as the team's most reliable scorer, especially in the post.
Randolph formed a fantastic frontcourt partnership with center Marc Gasol; the two big men collaborate to dominate the boards. They embodied the Grit and Grind mindset they wanted to play with, and that led to unprecedented success for the franchise, even earning an upset series victory in the Playoffs when the eighth-seeded Grizzlies beat the first-seeded San Antonio Spurs in 2011.
Circle closes with jersey retirement in FedExForum
In his eight-year stint with the team, Randolph became a beloved figure in the city. He was a superb player for the city's top sports franchise and was fully immersed and involved with the community.
That holds weight in a city like Memphis, where citizens love those who embrace them. Two years after his retirement in 2019, the Grizzlies honored Randolph by retiring his iconic #50 jersey number in 2021, as the Grizzlies made him the team's first-ever player to get that honor.
Earlier this year, Randolph was joined by his former frontcourt partner, Marc Gasol, for the Spaniard's jersey retirement ceremony .
Gasol had his #33 jersey number hung in the rafters beside Z-Bo's. Both players had the best stint of their careers in Memphis and will forever be icons in the city.
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