Before Zach Randolph became a Memphis Grizzlies legend and one of the most respected power forwards of his generation, he was just a wide-eyed rookie trying to find his place in the league. Drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2001, Randolph entered the NBA at a time when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were dominating.
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The Lakers were coming off back-to-back championships, and the Shaq-Kobe duo was the most dominant force in basketball. For a young player like Randolph, just being around that kind of greatness was overwhelming.
During an appearance on The Big Podcast, Randolph looked back on those early years and what it felt like to go up against the legends of the game, even if only from the sidelines. Randolph also revealed that his mom was a huge Shaquille O’Neal fan. He smiled as he recalled how excited she was when she found out her son would be on the same court as her favorite player.
He said that as a rookie, he didn’t have much of a role. He wasn’t part of the rotation yet. In fact, he couldn’t even get a regular seat on the bench. “Back then, rookies couldn’t sit on the seats, you got to sit on the floor. That sh*t hurt. 80 something on them floor games get hard,” Randolph said.
But that didn’t bother Z-Bo, as being in the building, witnessing greatness up close meant everything. He said, “I just remember sitting on the floor and then just being in awe of getting to see Kobe and Shaq, guys I looked up to. It just was a great experience. Even though I didn’t get to play, just being in there with the guys.”
In the 2002 first-round playoff series, the Lakers won three straight games to proceed to the next round. Shaq averaged 25.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Kobe averaged 26 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Randolph only got to play 1 minute during Game 1 of the series and remained on the bench for the next two games.
For a young big man, watching Shaq dominate in the post, throw down dunks, and control the paint must’ve been both inspiring and humbling. The experience has been the same for everyone who watched the early ‘00s Lakers, especially the way Shaq and Kobe played together. Those who grew up in that era with the dream of playing in the NBA one day have taken a lot from these two Lakers legends.
