Fans Give Zach Randolph a Standing Ovation in First Game Back Since His Mother Died

When Zach Randolph finally hangs 'em up for good, last night will probably be one of the games he keeps closest to his heart. And it has nothing to do with the fact it's the 1000th of his relatively illustrious 16-year career.

Randolph returned from a 7-game leave of absence following the Thanksgiving Day death of his mother, Mae Randolph. On November 25, Ronald Tillery of the The Commercial Appeal described how close the two were:

"Randolph is a kind-hearted, gentle giant who always classifies himself as a mama's boy.

'Oh yeah. Damn right,' he once told The Commercial Appeal. 'Everybody who knows me will tell you that. All I had was my mama. I never knew my dad. My mom was really protective. She took care of her babies the best she could. We didn't have a lot, but she kept her house clean and she kept food on the table for us. The house might not look good on the outside but you go on the inside and that joint be laid out. Man, I love my mother.'"

In NBA terms, Randolph has been a wayward son, on more than one occasion, but he's generally been holding steady sequestered in Memphis. The Grizzly faithful certainly love him as he got a rousing standing ovation, complete with "We Love You Zach" rally towels (not sure why that's in quotes, but a nice sentiment all the same) when he entered the game against the 76ers with 5:50 left in the 1st quarter.

Welcome back, @MacBo50! pic.twitter.com/T4gCurqhdO
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 7, 2016

Randolph didn't miss a head-faked beat, dropping 12 and 14 in 22-minutes of play. The Grizzlies scored the game's final seven to beat the Sixers 96-91. For the Grizz, it was the 4th in-a-row and their 11th straight win in games that either went to OT or were decided by five points or less. After the game, Z-Bo thanked the homefolk for lifting him up and dedicated the grit and the grind to the woman who made it possible.

"'It's important to get back to working,' Randolph said. 'This is what my mother would want me to do. Don't sit around and be sad. Go back to work. So I'm doing it for her. My mom was my father, too.'

'She liked my physical play, my rough play,' he said. 'My mom was a fan of my whole game. It's tough, but this is who I'm doing it for.'"

It was an emotional night for old friends in Memphis. We'll leave Marc Gasol with the last word…

Bigger than basketball… pic.twitter.com/zixh0OPhHy
— Marc Gasol (@MarcGasol) December 7, 2016