Ronald Shavlik Randolph (born November 24, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils after a decorated high school career. After going undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft, Randolph played parts of eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
In addition to playing in the NBA, Randolph has played in China and Puerto Rico, averaging a league-high 32.0 points per game during the 2012–13 CBA season and was ranked in the top-five for rebounds per game in both his seasons in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.
Randolph attended Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He scored 56 points in a game to surpass Broughton High alum Pete Maravich's all-time single-game record and later, passed him in career points, rebounds and blocks as well.
Randolph was a McDonald's All-American, two-time Parade All-American, and a two-time Associated Press North Carolina Player of the Year. As a junior in 2000–01, he averaged 27.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. As a senior in 2001–02, he averaged 30 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks per game.
As a senior, Randolph was rated as the #6 power forward in the nation by Scout.com.
Randolph started his college career with Duke by scoring a team-high 23 points and adding 7 rebounds in his November 23, 2002, debut against Army. Two days later, Randolph posted his first double-double against Davidson. Randolph's performance, however, started to decline after this stellar start, only scoring in double figures in five other games for the rest of the season. He suffered from numerous injuries which limited his playing time. He played in twenty-six games his freshman year (with six starts), averaging 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
In May 2003, Randolph had successful surgery on his left hip to correct a labral tear and bone spur. In his sophomore year, Randolph played in all 37 of Duke's games, averaging 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Randolph's game excelled during Duke's 2004 run to the Final Four. In the opening round, Randolph posted 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals against Alabama State. Randolph also played well in the national semi-final game against UConn, scoring 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting with six rebounds and one blocked shot.
In his junior year, Randolph averaged 4.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 29 games (18.9 mpg). He sat out four games during the season after being diagnosed with mononucleosis, and slowly worked his way back into the rotation. He eventually returned to his starting role, giving the Blue Devils another inside presence to go with center Shelden Williams.
On May 13, 2005, Randolph declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility. In his three-year career at Duke, he played 92 games (36 starts) while averaging 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He was also a member of two ACC regular season championships, two ACC tournament championships, and one Final Four appearance.
Philadelphia 76ers (2005–2008)
Randolph went undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft. On August 5, 2005, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. On June 30, 2006, the 76ers tendered a qualifying offer to make Randolph a restricted free agent.
On July 12, 2006, Randolph re-signed with the 76ers to a two-year, $2.1 million contract with the second year containing a player option. Two days later, he joined the 76ers for the 2006 Rocky Mountain Revue.
On November 30, 2006, Randolph broke his left ankle at practice and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. He was playing defense when he landed on the foot of Andre Iguodala. He was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the 2006–07 season.
On June 22, 2007, Randolph exercised the player option on his contract, keeping him with the team for a third season. In July 2007, he re-joined the 76ers for the 2007 NBA Summer League but did not end up playing for them in either the Las Vegas entry or the Rocky Mountain Revue entry.
Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat (2008–2010)
On September 25, 2008, Randolph signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. His first game of the 2008–09 season came on January 14, 2009, against his former team, the 76ers, where he managed four points in as many minutes.
On September 28, 2009, Randolph signed with the Miami Heat. He managed just two games for the Heat before he was waived on December 14, 2009. On December 30, 2009, he re-signed with the Trail Blazers to help the team deal with numerous injuries. Portland had to use an NBA hardship exemption in order to sign him as he made their roster stand at 16, one over the allowed limited of 15. His second stint did not last long as he was waived by Portland on January 6 after playing just three games. However, two days later, he signed a 10-day contract with the Trail Blazers. After his 10-day contract expired, he parted ways with the team.
On April 6, 2010, Randolph re-signed with the Heat for the rest of the 2009–10 season. In early July 2010, he joined the Heat for the 2010 NBA Summer League where he averaged 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games. On July 27, 2010, he again re-signed with the Heat but was later waived on October 20, 2010, before the start of the 2010–11 season.