Zach Randolph

Club

_Retired Basketball

Position

Forward

Nationality

United States

Date of birth

1981-07-16

Birthplace

Marion, Indiana

Height

6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

Weight

250 lb (113 kg)

Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the two-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for Michigan State University before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He has played for five teams over the course of his professional career, making the All-NBA Third Team in 2011 with the Grizzlies.

High school career
Randolph grew up in Marion, Indiana and attended Marion High School, where his coach was Moe Smedley. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Marion Giants to the 1998 Indiana Class 4A Championship Game. As a senior, he again led his team to the state championship game in which Marion High School won its seventh state basketball championship. He finished second in Indiana's "Mr. Basketball" voting that year behind Jared Jeffries, who played for the team the Giants beat in the state championship game and would later become Randolph's teammate with the Knicks.

College career
After high school, Randolph attended and played basketball for Michigan State University coached by Tom Izzo. His teammates at MSU included Jason Richardson and Charlie Bell. In his single season at Michigan State, he averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over 33 games, with a team that finished with a 28–5 record and advanced to its third straight NCAA Final Four. After his freshman season, he entered the 2001 NBA draft.

Professional career
Portland Trail Blazers (2001–2007)
He was drafted by the Blazers in the first round (19th overall) in 2001. Continuing on from his college career, he remained in the power forward position. In 2004 he won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, after which he signed a 6-year, $84-million extension with the Blazers. Randolph averaged 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in the 2006–07 season, which was cut short in March 2007 due to a hand injury. In what would turn out to be his final game as a Trail Blazer, he accumulated a career high 43 points and 17 rebounds. In his six seasons with Portland, he averaged 16.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game

New York Knicks (2007–2008)
On June 28, 2007, Randolph, along with Dan Dickau, Fred Jones and the draft rights to Demetris Nichols, was traded to the New York Knicks in a draft day deal for Steve Francis, Channing Frye, and a 2008 2nd round draft pick. On July 2, 2007, Randolph was introduced at a press confer