Former Grizzlies Star Zach Randolph Gets Brutally Honest About Why He Stopped Selling Drugs Before His NBA Debut

Zach Randolph’s journey to the NBA began under challenging circumstances. Born into one of Indiana’s poorest families, he turned to drug dealing at a young age to support himself. But before he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft, Randolph had a life-changing realization that set him on a different path.

During a candid conversation on the “Out the Mud Podcast,” Randolph revealed the moment he decided to leave that life behind. This moment of clarity helped the former Memphis Grizzlies star recognize the risk he was taking and motivated him to focus on his basketball career instead.

“Bro, everybody in there, every MF is hitting licks and selling packs. Man, I’m sitting down; I stand up—there are about 10 people in the house, junkies and sh*t. I stand up, and I feel like a giant,” Randolph said.

“Bro, I look over everybody’s heads… I’m a freshman; I’m 15 or 16, and I’m so tall. I see over everyone. I’m thinking to myself, ‘Man, bro, the task force come, bro; I’m going to be the first MF they see,'” he added.

Zach Randolph’s Legendary NBA Career

After making his NBA debut, Zach Randolph, who once was on hot set for his wife, embarked on a 17-season journey across five teams. Randolph played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and New York Knicks.

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During his career, Randolph appeared in 1,116 regular-season games, maintaining averages of 16.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. In 2011, he earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team with the Grizzlies and made the NBA All-Star team twice, in 2011 and 2013.

Randolph’s last active season was with the Kings in 2017-18, during which time he still averaged 14.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He officially retired in 2019. As a tribute to his impact, the Memphis Grizzlies retired his No. 50 jersey.

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