On December 12, Beijing time, the Grizzlies defeated the Rockets 113-106 at home. The protagonist of this game is not the player on the court, nor the coach on the sideline, but the Grizzlies star Zach Randolph! After today's game, the Grizzlies officially retired Randolph's No. 50 jersey! The jersey hangs over the arena in the form of a "platinum record"!
The reason why Randolph is the first person in the history of the Grizzlies is not his achievements, but because he is the first star in the history of the Grizzlies to retire the jersey! Many Grizzlies fans at the scene put on Randolph's No. 50 jersey. It is worth mentioning that Gasol Jr. flew from Spain to participate in the retirement ceremony of the good brothers' jerseys.
Randolph's family was poor when he was a child, his mother raised four children alone, and he was ridiculed by his classmates for wearing the same pair of jeans many days. Later, basketball entered Randolph's life, and he also helped his mother reduce the burden on her. Randolph's high school coach recalled that he once invited this guy to dinner, and Randolph ate 50 chicken wings!
Randolph, 40, issued a formal announcement of his retirement in December 2019. In September of this year, the Grizzlies officially announced that the new season will retire Randolph's No. 50 jersey and Tony Allen's No. 9 jersey! Tony Allen is currently in a lawsuit and his jersey retirement (originally scheduled for January 29 next year) may be delayed.
In the 2001 Draft, Randolph was selected by the Blazers with the 19th pick in the first round, playing for the Blazers, Knicks, Clippers, Grizzlies and Kings. In the 17 seasons of his NBA career, he averaged 16.6 points, 9.1 boards and 1.8 assists per game, was twice named an All-Star, was named the most improved player in 2004, and was named to the All-Team Third Team in 2011.
According to statistics, Randolph's NBA career salary is $199 million. Coupled with the achievement of the first retired jersey in the history of the team, Randolph's career is enough to be complete! Many fans know Randolph because of his achievements at the Grizzlies. He and Gasol Jr. are known as the "Black and White Bears", which makes the whole alliance feel frightened, and whoever sees them will have to lose their skin!
In fact, Randolph became famous in the Blazers, and in the 2003-04 season, he averaged 20+10 per game in the third grade. But the Trail Blazers didn't do well, and Randolph was also known as the "Big Brush"! He had a hot temper and fought with teammate Ruben Patterson in training. After six seasons at Portland, Randolph was sent to the Knicks and then to the Clippers.
Although Randolph's statistics are good, he has missed the playoffs for 8 consecutive years, and he was once called the team's cancer! In the summer of 2009, Randolph was traded by the Clippers to the Grizzlies, and no one expected him to have a new life in Memphis! In 2009–10, he averaged 20.8 points and 11.7 boards per game, and in the 2010–11 season, Randolph delivered another 20.1 points and 12.2 boards.
Two consecutive seasons of 20+10, the team's record is booming, randolph proved that he is not a cancer! In the first round of the 2010-11 playoffs, the black and white bears vs Duncan, randolph series averaged 22.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, led the eighth Grizzlies in the West to eliminate the First Spurs in the West 4-2, and staged the fourth black eight miracle in NBA history!
Randolph's 8 seasons with the Grizzlies included seven in the playoffs. In the 2011-12 season and the 2013-14 season, the Grizzlies fought seven games against the Clippers and thunder before exiting. In the 2012-13 season, the 5th Grizzlies of the West first killed the 4th Clippers in the first round 4-2, and then the 4-1 Thunder of the West, and the team reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 19 years!
In those two rounds of the series, Randolph averaged 17.4 points and 10 boards per game, playing superstars such as Paul and Durant without temper. In three years, twice in the playoffs to take first place in the West, that Grizzlies are too strong! As the main players got older and the team's record began to decline, the Grizzlies decided to rebuild. In 2017, the Kings signed Randolph for 2 years and 24 million.
In 2019, Randolph, who was at the end of his career, was sent to the Lone Ranger and then cut, and his NBA career was also announced. Now that the Black Bears jersey has retired, the White Bears have left the NBA and returned to play in the La Liga, conley has also gone to the Utah Jazz... But no one will forget that Grizzlies.