Zach Randolph bought 500 tickets to Blazers-Grizzlies Game 1 to give away to fans
The only thing better than being there in person to watch your favorite team open the playoffs with a dominating win is having somebody else pick up the tab for you to do it. Five hundred Memphis Grizzlies fans enjoyed that sweet, sweet feeling on Sunday, taking in the Grizzlies' dominant 100-86 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at FedEx Forum after receiving tickets paid for by star power forward Zach Randolph:
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As noted in Memphis ABC affiliate WATN-TV's report, the initial plan was for Z-Bo to give away 300 tickets for the Game 1 tilt on a first-come, first-served basis after the Grizzlies' Saturday practice. But with scores of fans winding up on the short end of the stick after those 300 tickets were given away, Randolph decided to reach back into his wallet and buy another 200, ensuring that even more die-hard Grizzlies fans who might not have had the means to buy their way in on their own were on-hand to pack the Grindhouse and give the Blazers precisely the sort of welcome that visitors dread when they come to Tennessee.
The ticket giveaway is just the latest in a long line of efforts by Randolph aimed at giving back to the city that has embraced him wholeheartedly, warts and all. Since joining the Grizzlies before the 2009-10 season, he's helped in-need Memphians pay their electric and heating bills, donated $10,000 to save and care for an injured pit bill, worked to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospital, and regularly makes huge donations to local charities and families, especially around the holidays. He's put the off-court troubles of his past behind him, becoming the sort of generous, fan-focused pro whose efforts earned him recognition as one of the five finalists for the Professional Basketball Writers Association's 2014-15 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, an annual honor celebrating a player, coach or athletic trainer who shows "outstanding service and dedication to the community."
"I do what I do because I remember when times were tough growing up, so I want to help families that experience those hardships," Randolph said in a statement after being named a finalist. "To win the award would be an honor for my family, my team and for Memphis, and serve as a reminder that I can always do more."
He already does plenty — including scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and making things hard on Portland All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge during Memphis' comfortable Game 1 victory — and the Grizzlies fans love him for it.
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 20, 2015
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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