Zach Randolph’s mother died on Nov. 25. After taking a leave of absence for a week and a half, Randolph returned to the Grizzlies on Tuesday to a standing ovation from his hometown Memphis crowd.
Zach Randolph receives standing ovation in his 1st game back since his mother passed away
It was, coincidentally, Randolph’s 1,000th regular season game in his 16-year career. It’s impossible to imagine what that must have felt like, but Randolph was right back to his basketball self, with 12 points and 14 rebounds in a Grizzlies win.
“He was just Z-Bo again,” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said.
Marc Gasol — his longtime frontcourt partner over the years in Memphis — posted this after the game.
But man, that ovation really was something.
These things are never easy, but it’s great to see Randolph back and so much love shown toward him in a difficult time.
