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On Nov. 25, Memphis Grizzlies big man Zach Randolph suffered a tremendous loss when his mother died.

Since his mother’s death, Randolph has been away from the team mourning the loss.

On Tuesday, Randolph made his return to the basketball court. His reunion with his team and the fans and Memphis was truly a special and emotional one.

What an amazing moment. The ovation didn’t seem choreographed or staged. It just seemed like people truly cared about Randolph during a tough time in his life.

Following the game (Memphis won, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 96-91, but that isn’t really relevant here), coaches and teammates had nothing but great things to say about Randolph.

As someone who has absolutely no connection with Memphis or the Grizzlies, I really have admired how the team handles things. When Mike Conley was a free agent, the team brought in freaking Justin Timberlake to help bring him back. Now, the team has gone out of their way to express their support for a guy who has been a mainstay in Memphis. While these two occasions are very different, both have really stuck with me as examples of an organization caring for its players and given me more of an appreciation for a team I used to not have much of an opinion on.

The last thing that is great here is the mention of this being bigger than basketball. It’s true and in his case seems extremely heartfelt. I’m sure Randolph appreciates all of the kind words and authentic love from those in Memphis.

About Ryan Williamson

Ryan is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri and has recently returned to his Minnesota roots. He previously has worked for the Columbia Missourian, KFAN radio in Minneapolis and BringMeTheNews.com. Feel free to email me at rwilliamson29 AT Gmail dot com.

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