OT - Zach Randolph: Just a misunderstood really nice guy!

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/nba-player-implicated-in-indy-drug-investigation

This is from summer 2010. Obviously it didn't go anywhere (publicly), but I can't find even a trace that he was cleared, did probation, whatever.

 

As it turns out, something did happen in that hallway outside the Thunder’s locker room last Wednesday near the conclusion of the Thunder-Grizzlies game. After investigating the incident between Thunder center Kendrick Perkins and Memphis forward Zach Randolph, the NBA on Monday fined Randolph $25,000 for “confronting” Perkins near the locker room area following their ejections with 2:05 remaining in the fourth quarter.

We still aren’t entirely sure what happened in the hallway that night, but Randolph went on ESPN radio in Memphis today and told his side of the story. It’s about 11 minutes into the interview, but Randolph appears to be pretty candid about what took place (beware of some light obscenities). Randolph didn’t go into details about how much the confrontation escalated, but he did confess to seeking out Perkins on the Thunder’s side of the hallway.

Randolph makes repeated references to a set of double doors, which are the only thing separating the Thunder’s locker room inside Chesapeake Energy Arena from the visitor’s locker room. To give you a visual of the setup, the double doors are about 10 feet to the right of the Thunder’s locker room, and the visitor’s locker room is then roughly 20 feet from those double doors.

Here’s a transcript of the Randolph discussing what went down.

Q: Did you whoop his ass?
A: Man, nah, I didn’t whoop his ass. That’s the thing about it…I was surprised. I was surprised.

Q: What happened in the back that the NBA is fining you for, because nobody knows the story?
A: I mean, it really wasn’t, I just, they said because I went through the double doors. I guess I went on their side. So I don’t know.

Q: So you were going to go whoop his ass?
A: (Laughs).

Q: Are you guys lunatics? Like, you both went to the back. You were really going to fight.
A: You know what, I’ll tell you, them basketball games they get real emotional and, man, two guys, it’s physical, emotional. I mean, it gets rough down there and emotions flare. And one thing can lead to another on that court.

Q: Listen, we can joke about it now but at the time everybody loved it, right? Because you clearly say to the guy I’ll beat your ass. Right? The microphone just happened to pick you up saying that.
A: Man, I know, man. They played it on ESPN 100 times. Like, man stop playing it.

Q: But it appeared to me Perkins wasn’t talking to you. He was talking to Marc (Gasol), right?
A: Well, you know, when you’re talking to Marc you’re talking to me. So that’s how that roll. I’m talking about on the court or off the court. You know, and that’s the same way with him. I think he got made because Marc had just came — remember that move where Marc had crossed him over at the elbow and then had pumped faked? And I said, ‘Oh my gosh. Bust his butt, Marc’ running down the court.

Q: Oh, you said that to Perkins?
A: (Laughs). Yeah.

Q: It was pretty rough, man. He turned him inside out.
A: He did.

Q: So then Perkins gets mad, he starts barking and that’s when you get into it?
A: Yup.

Q: And then in the back, did you try to go in their locker room?
A: Nah, I didn’t go in their locker room. It was some doors; I had went on their side. Their locker room was like right there to the left. But I had went through some doors in the hallway. And I went through the doors. But it was a lesson learned. It won’t happen again. I ain’t gonna lose no $25,000 again. I’m done with all that bluffing on the court, because them guys do a lot of bluffing. I’m from the bluff city. We don’t do no bluffing, man. (Laughs).

Q: Do you think Perkins got the point? Do you think he probably thought ‘This guy’s a maniac?’
A: (Laughs). I don’t know. Perkins know me, so he know what’s up.

Q: Could you whoop his ass?
A: (Laughs). I’m good with these hands, man. I’m a jackin’ dude. I’m pretty good with these hands so…Hey, every day I came out the house I had to fight, you know. Me and my brother.

Q: You guys, you fought growing up?
A: Yeah.

Q: How many fights would you say you’ve been in?
A: (Exhales). Man, I’d say, man it’s too many to count.

Q: Hundreds?
A: Probably about 30, 40.

Q: Thirty or 40?
A: Yeah, I’m talking about from like middle school and, you know, my freshman year. But mainly when I was young.

Q: How many have you lost? If I’m going to give you a record, right? Like a boxer, I’m going to give you a record.
A: You know what, I’m going to say about 30, 28-2 or 28-4. I’m going to tell you this, because I used to fight the older guys. You know, I used to fight older guys. You know, the older guys got to chastise you and make sure you ain’t backing down. So me or my brother, we never backed down so we used to have to fight older guys.

http://blog.newsok.com/thunderrumblings/2012/11/20/zach-randolph-tells-his-side-of-the-story/