Zach Randolph Gets Real On Why He Stopped Selling Drugs Before His NBA Career

Zach Randolph spoke recently about his past selling drugs in a recent appearance on the 'Out The Mud' podcast. He noted that his earliest experience selling drugs was out of what he called a 'dope house'. And it was while being in that facility that he had a moment of clarity and understood the consequences of what he was doing. He then focused entirely on basketball and getting better at that so he could improve his life.

"I was selling dope my first year in high school because we were so poor... One reason why I stopped selling dope, I was a freshman and I was in a dope house... Bro, everybody in there, every motherf**ker 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. 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, if the task force comes, bro, I'm going to be the first motherf**ker they see.' This is not for me, man. Sold some dope and went home, that was the last time I ever sold drugs."

"I grew a couple more inches my freshman year playing for Coach Mo, shout out to my high school coach. He cuffed me, put me under his wing, took me in, and locked in with me. Boom. Real sh*t."

Randolph had a difficult upbringing, growing up poor in Marion, Indiana, and had to do anything just to be able to survive and make ends meet. But Randolph got lucky that he got away from that dangerous life before things became complicated for him, or he got himself in trouble.

Zach Randolph Would Have An Amazing NBA Career

While Randolph wasn't taking the drugs, selling them, especially before the age of 18, is a very severe crime, and it could have derailed his entire future. But Randolph was able to turn things around, focusing on basketball and eventually being able to earn a spot with the Michigan State Spartans college team.

From there, he would reach the NBA, where he was selected 19th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, joining the Portland Trail Blazers. He got the chance to play alongside Scottie Pippen, who was nearing the end of his career by that point and got to sit under his learning tree.

Randolph would spend six years with the Trail Blazers, where he won the NBA Most Improved Player award in 2004, before being traded to the New York Knicks in 2007.

After spending one season with the Knicks, Randolph would once again get traded, this time, to the LA Clippers. But he only played for the Clippers for one season as well, as he would become a free agent at the end of the 2008-09 NBA season.

As a free agent, Randolph signed for the Memphis Grizzlies, where he made his home for the next eight years.

It was with the Grizzlies that Randolph became a major name in the league, as he earned two All-Star selections with the franchise, and was one of the stars on the team as they ushered in their 'Grit-and-Grind' era under the leadership of Marc Gasol.

Randolph was a phenomenal star for the Grizzlies, but left the franchise in 2017, as his age started catching up to him, and he felt like he was losing his spot.

He played for the Sacramento Kings from 2017 to 2018, before getting traded to, and subsequently waived by the Dallas Mavericks. Not being able to find a new team, Randolph decided it was time to call a career, announcing his retirement from the NBA in 2019.

By the time his career was over, Randolph had accumulated a Most Improved Player award in 2004, two All-Star selections in 2010 and 2013, and an All-NBA Third Team selection in 2011.

In his career, Randolph averaged 16.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. He had a career field goal percentage of 47.1%, a three-point percentage of 27.1%, and a free-throw percentage of 76.4%

Two years later, in 2021, the Grizzlies retired Randolph's jersey, as he became the first player to have his name up in the rafters for the Grizzlies. The one decision from Randolph to stop selling drugs in high school put him on a path to becoming an NBA great.