As the Philadelphia 76ers got set to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday on the road, coach Doc Rivers took the time to give some praise to one of Memphis’ franchise greats.
While the Grizzlies haven’t been around for a while and their greats aren’t exactly “legends” in some eyes, there was one player who really punctuated what the era coined “Grit N Grind” and that guy was Zach Randolph.
Randolph spent eight seasons in Memphis and during his time there, he helped turn the franchise into a pretty good team. The Grizzlies made their first Western Conference finals appearance in 2013 and they even knocked off Rivers’ Los Angeles Clippers team in the process.
Before the Sixers took on the Grizz on Monday, Rivers was asked about the toughness of the current Memphis roster and he got off-topic when he compared them all to the grittiness of Randolph. He had his No. 50 retired by the franchise on Saturday.
“Good job, by the way, by the city the other day that was cool,” said Rivers. “It was a perfect retirement for, you know, there’s certain guys that fit the city. He could have never got his jersey retired in LA.”
Before becoming a staple for the Grizzlies, Randolph bounced around the league a bit. He started off with the Portland Trail Blazers for six seasons and he got a reputation as being a malcontent during the “Jail Blazers” era before joining the New York Knicks and he was then sent to the Clippers.
He then caught on with Memphis just trying to save his career and he did so in a big way. He made an All-Star appearance in his first season with the Grizz and he averaged 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in his eight seasons with the team.
“He’s just tough, man, like he’s tough and more importantly, I’m way off subject, but on Zach, it’s a great example that a person can change his career,” Rivers added. “In Portland, and then he comes here, and it completely changed the narrative about him and who he is. So really, really from an ex-player, obviously, to a guy that loves the game, I was very happy with how it went down the other night.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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