“Best Time of My Career”: Former NBA All-Star Reminisces His Most Memorable Time at the Memphis Grizzlies

Zach Randolph comes in the category that found a home with the Memphis Grizzlies. From the total of 17 seasons of his career, he played eight with the Grizzlies only. At a time when nobody wanted the man, the Grizzlies helped him come alive and become of their franchise’s greatest of all time.

Despite having all the talent in the world, Z-Bo had a tough time finding one team he could fit in with. In 2009, when he was traded from the Clippers to Memphis, many people were skeptical about what he would bring to the table. It seemed like all hope was lost for the power forward.

Randolph’s slightly messy reputation with the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t help his case either. But he proved everybody wrong within just two seasons of being with the Grizzlies. He took them to the playoffs and even defeated the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. Before this, the franchise had never won a playoff game in history.

Memphis and Randolph were like Yin and Yang for each other. Memphis gave Zach the opportunity to revive his career, and he took the team to a level nobody thought they could reach.

Zach Randolph cherishes his time with the Memphis Grizzlies

After all that he has been through, it’s no surprise that being a part of Memphis was the highlight of Randolph’s career personally and professionally. On ‘The Posecast’, Randolph joined James Posey to discuss his time with the Grizzlies.

James asked Randolph what made that team so special to him. “Everything just fitted like a puzzle and we grew together,” stated Randolph.“We had, like I said, coach Hollins. He was strict, you know. He wanted what he wanted and was precise about it, and he didn’t sugarcoat it. That was good because we already were men and we were real with each other.”

Randolph further added, “We had respect and love for each other… Believed in each other. We used to come to the ground house, you had to get your rest. You know you have some guys come in who might want to go to the strip club or go hang out before the game. But when you bring your ass to Memphis, you got to get you some rest. Because they know it’s true, it’s going to be a fight the next day.”

Randolph also opened up about how the community welcomed him with open arms and said, “The best time of my career in my 17-18 years in the league, the time with Memphis was the most memorable time from going to the playoffs and just everything with the community, just embracing me. Man, it just fit like a puzzle.”

Randolph is also known for helping the families of Memphis. He is one of the very few players whose contributions off the court are more remarkable than on it. So no matter how much he struggled, he will always be remembered for his good deeds. His presence in the team was so impactful that when he left, they honored him by retiring his jersey.