Zach Randolph shares why he wasn't happy when he initially came to Memphis: 'I wasn't excited coming at first'

At first, he wasn’t eager about the move and didn’t share the excitement fans might have expected.

“There were a lot of doubts,” says Randolph. “It was a lot of doubts because when I first got traded from the Clippers, it said Memphis. I wasn’t excited because I know everybody; I know everybody in the city; I’ve been coming here... So I wasn’t really excited about coming at first, then I came, and it clicked, and all the pieces were just right for the puzzle.”

When "Z-Bo" arrived, the Grizzlies weren’t a powerhouse team. They were building something, but their success had yet to materialize fully.

Building the team

No. 50’s arrival in Memphis marked the beginning of a new era for the Grizzlies, one that would become synonymous with the term “Grit and Grind.” Though Zach initially doubted the potential of his new team, things quickly turned around.

As he began to play alongside key players like Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, and Marc Gasol, it became clear that Memphis had the foundation to become something special. The former first-round pick’s unique style of play—brutal, physical, and unrelenting—was exactly what the Grizzlies needed to establish their defensive identity.

“Coming to Memphis in ‘09, when I first got here and started playing, I realized how much potential we could be. I see the talents that we had, Mike Conley, Rudy Gates, and Marc Gasol. I see them guys, and I see what they could do and their potential. So we got out there, we were practicing, we worked, we won, we started playing, we started believing in ourselves, they added me, I gave the team that funk, gave them that grind, we had a good first year,” Z-Bo said.

The Grizzlies didn’t waste time building on that potential. In the following seasons, the team started to gel, with their defensive prowess, team chemistry, and Randolph’s leadership driving them forward.

The 2011 playoffs saw Memphis make history as the eighth seed, taking down the heavily favored Spurs in a shocking first-round upset. This victory, alongside the continued growth of the core players, set the stage for the team's rise in the Western Conference.