The Grizzlies welcomed back Zach Randolph for the first time since he left for the Sacramento Kings last summer during free agency.
Zach Randolph stood by the opposing bench and looked at the jumbotron as a video tribute played in his honor.
The pleasantries ended after that first-quarter tribute.
The Grizzlies welcomed back Randolph for the first time since he left for the Sacramento Kings last summer during free agency. The 36-year-old suffered a 106-88 loss to the Grizzlies Friday night in FedEdExforum.
Memphis (16-28) won its third straight game after not winning consecutive games for the first time since late October.
With his family sitting courtside across from the Grizzlies’ bench, Randolph wrestled with former teammate Marc Gasol for nearly 19 minutes on the court.
Randolph spent several minutes visiting with fans and friends after the game ended.
“It's emotional, man. It's a great feeling," Randolph said. "It's home for me. I love the people, and I love this city."
The veteran power forward received a standing ovation when he was introduced with the starting lineups. The video tribute highlighted Randolph’s time in Memphis. The Grizzlies became a playoff team with Randolph as the centerpiece, beginning with the 2010-11 season.
"It was great," Grizzlies center Marc Gasol said. "It was beautiful. All the fans did a great job of showing Z-Bo how much he meant to the city and the franchise.
"Z-bo got the big night, and we got a great win."
The game belonged to the young players as Grizzlies rookie Dillon Brooks scored a career-best 22 points and guard Ben McLemore added a season-high 21 points… The teams were tied at 40 by halftime. Memphis opened the third quarter with a 22-7 run… Sacramento has lost 14 of its last 15 games in Memphis.