“We Weren’t No Kobe Bryant Stoppers”: 2x All-Star Recalls Infamous Brawl and Getting Thrown Around Like a Rag Doll

The NBA attracts headlines not only for the talent on display but also for some infamous brawls. A few of them happened on the court, while others took place away from the lens of the camera. Not every brawl in NBA history has reached the devastating lengths of ‘Malice in the Palace.’ Many teams have inner conflicts that never see the light of day.

Fans would be surprised to learn how many similar instances there have been to Draymond Green’s punch on Jordan Poole. Zach Randolph has some interesting tales of his own buried deep in the vault. Many remember the two-time All-Star as a fan favorite within the community during his time with the Memphis Grizzlies. That soft smile is not one people should take for granted.

The 6-foot-7 forward opened up about a brawl that took place when he was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. Randolph got into it with his then-teammate, Ruben Patterson, better known as “the Kobe Bryant stopper.”

“We weren’t no Kobe Bryant stoppers. We let him think that because we need him,” Randolph said on The Big Podcast with Shaq. Patterson’s bully persona carried over to the locker room, where Randolph fell victim to it one day.

Patterson was going through a frenzy of emotions in the Trail Blazers locker room. He went on to call out a multitude of teammates, but none of them gave him the time of day. Randolph was only in his sophomore season and couldn’t fight back the urge to put Patterson in his place.

“I stood up, man, he threw me around like a rag doll over the locker room,” Randolph revealed. “I could’ve bust my head or broke my back.”

What began as something that should’ve been playful turned into a heated brawl. Tensions didn’t end there. A couple of months later, Patterson found himself in another feud with teammate Qyntel Woods. Randolph saw this as his opportunity to get back at Patterson’s out-of-line physicality.

“I hit him, and he rushed at me, going crazy. The whole team couldn’t hold him,” Randolph proclaimed. His anger reached great heights, leading him to grab a weighted dumbbell to use against Patterson. Luckily, his teammates and the Trail Blazers staff eventually broke up the altercation.

Aside from Randolph missing a couple of weeks due to his initial skirmish with Patterson, nobody was seriously hurt. Randolph looks back at the story and can laugh about it now. His revelation of the fight is just an example of many other secret brawls that have taken place in NBA history.