Zach Randolph believes Ja Morant will find redemption in Memphis like he did

[ad_1]

Zach Randolph started nodding his head before he knew the entire premise of the question.

Can his tale of NBA redemption, crafted right here in Memphis, serve as something of a model for Ja Morant?

“Oh, yeah,” the former Grizzlies star responded.

The man known fondly around here as Z-Bo was speaking earlier this week at an event in downtown Memphis for those who support Connect Music Group, a local startup with a mission to help aspiring singers and musicians monetize their work in the digital music world. Randolph’s NLess Entertainment label, which he founded with partner Marcus Howell in 2016, was being celebrated as one of the major investors in this round of Connect Music’s funding.

Thirteen years after Randolph was accused of financing a major marijuana ring in the Indianapolis era, after so many bad headlines to start his NBA career that he had been traded three times in three years upon joining the Grizzlies, he’s now helping to finance music dreams in Memphis.

The numbers are actually staggering. Artists associated with N Less Entertainment, most notably Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo, have had their songs streamed 57 million times over the past seven years. That, according to Howell, has equated to $82 million of revenue.

“They’re on the way to mogul status,” Connect Music CEO George Monger said.

Randolph reached this point gradually, of course, with plenty of playoff runs and MLG&W bills paid off in between. The story of how he was embraced by Memphis, of how he became the first jersey retired in franchise history, has been told so much over the years it’s part of city lore. But it’s worth dusting off again during these doldrums of the NBA calendar, with Morant mostly in seclusion after a year in which he couldn’t escape his own missteps. As a reminder of what’s possible in Memphis, and how perceptions can change.

“Ja is going to be OK,” Randolph declared. “I talked to him earlier this summer. He’s all right. I think he’s going to learn from his mistake. He’s going to be all right.”

Randolph makes it easier to envision, five years from now, everybody looking back on this as…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/zach-randolph-believes-ja-morant-113436087.html?src=rss

Author : The Commercial Appeal

Publish date : 2023-07-27 11:34:36

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.