As talented as NBA superstars are, nobody ever shines in the NBA without sufficient help. Even the all-timers like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James acknowledge the fact that they wouldn't be where they are today had it not been for the contributions of players like Scottie Pippen, James Worthy, and Kyrie Irving, to name a few of their teammates.
With this in mind, former All-Star Rasheed Wallace recently shared a story of how he and some vets on the Portland Trail Blazers taught Zach Randolph a lesson in humility when the latter became too cocky and overconfident in his abilities.
Teach the young guns how the league operates
According to Wallace, who played 16 seasons in the NBA and won a title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, left-handed power forward Zach Randolph was already feeling himself during his breakout in the 2003-2004 season. In that campaign, Z-Bo averaged 20.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, a massive leap from his sophomore season when he averaged 8.4 points and 4.5 boards.
Sheed shared that Z-Bo thought he was having all this success by himself when he was benefitting from the team's system and the guidance of their veteran leaders, who had been instrumental in his development and success.
"He was on top of the world, thought he was killing it. But then he got smart with the vets for, like, one or two days in practice. He got smart with me, Bonzi, and Damon," Wallace said on the "Sheed & Tyler" podcast. "Just, you know, feeling himself. My young fella—you know, we all still loved him. It wasn't like he was doing something wrong or really fu***d up. So, we just had to teach him a lesson."
Sheed brought Z-Bo down the earth
With his confidence at an all-time high, the former Michigan State standout began mouthing off in practice, declaring how dominant he was becoming in the league. Upon hearing this, Sheed's ears perked up. He couldn't resist the opportunity to put Z-Bo in his place.
"I'm like, 'Dog, you're killing them because they're doubling me. And with them doubling me, I'm playing basketball. I'm hitting you for the wide-open layup, for the wide-open elbow jump shot. That's why you're killing. This is why you're killing, dog.' And then he was like, 'Man, you hating, Bonzi's hating. Damon's hating.' And then everybody else was hating. So, we're like, 'Alright,'" Wallace disclosed.
Seeing that Z-Bo wasn't convinced, Sheed and the other veterans thought it was best to teach the burgeoning star a lesson. They decided they would give the ball to Zach every time down the floor to see if he could handle the defense by himself. This tactic went on for several games.
"It took about three, four, or five games for that to happen. So, every time my number was called, no—we going to him, so he can see, he can learn, like, 'Oh motherf****r think it's easy.'" Sheed revealed. "So, every time we were out there on the floor, every time, that call was like a turn four, you know? That was my call—turn four. Nah, turn, Zach."
Z-Bo eventually realized what Sheed and his teammates were doing and came to his senses. He went on to win the Most Improved Player that season and became a two-time All-Star and a one-time All-NBA team member.
Related: "A lot of these bigs don't want to get down in the block, bump and grind" - Rasheed Wallace dishes on what NBA big men lack nowadays
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