Former NBA Star Zach Randolph Reveals Battles Against Blake Griffin Were 'Personal'

Ricardo Klein | Nov 18, 2024

Feb 21, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) holds the ball as Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) defends at FedExForum. The Grizzlies won 102 - 96. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-Imagn Images / Justin Ford-Imagn Images

The NBA is full of rivalries between a handful of teams. Over the past handful of seasons, we have seen some rivalries live on and some formed over the years.

Sports bring us closer together, but sometimes, it could make you hate one team or another. Although teams battle amongst one another, sometimes, it is a game within a game. 

Sometimes, there are battles between individual players that are fun to witness. This was the case in the early to mid-2010s between former All-NBA members Zach Randolph and Blake Griffin. 

These two star forwards had battles that fans will remember in that generation. What made the battles even more fun was that they meant they were in the playoffs year after year. Those games and battles meant something to the fans, teams, and players. 

Randolph recalled the battles with Griffin and said they were "personal." 

"Man, that sh*t was alive," said the Grizzlies icon. "Going against Blake, and you know me and Blake, we kind of play the same position, and I was with the Clippers before I got traded in '09 from the Clippers to Memphis, so he came in, not so really personal, but it was personal."

The battle between these two imposing figures was physical, and even that is an understatement. Especially in the playoffs, you could see the emotions jump off the screen. Randolph went on to say that he loved that type of play, especially when the games mattered. 

"I'm like a chameleon; I adapt. So I'm a play nice with you, but if you get on that, I'm on that, so I guess he comes into the into the league... He was coming with guys that got him hyped up, so we just battled... It was great battles; you know he was a strong force; I was a strong force, so it was like sh*t, I ain't going; you feel me," Randolph said.

The real heat between these two players were felt during the 2013 NBA playoffs. The Clippers defeated the Grizzlies four games to two in the first round of that year. 

Randolph played 23 games against Griffin, and although Griffin was the better player at the time, he still held his own against him. Randolph averaged 16.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. 

As for Griffin, he averaged 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in those matchups. 

The matches between these two were legendary and some that Clippers and Grizzlies fans will never forget. 

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