Anthony Randolph

Randolph with the Golden State Warriors

Knowing there was a good chance he would be chosen in the first round, Randolph declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft at the end of his freshman year at LSU.[6] Some projected Randolph to go high in the year's draft because of his versatility and potential, while his detractors thought he might drop because of his thin frame and raw overall game.[7][8] In either case, many believed Randolph could be the steal of the draft with his talent and tremendous potential.[9]

In the draft, the Golden State Warriors selected Randolph with the fourteenth overall pick.[5] The Warriors were coming off a disappointing 2007-08 season where the team was unable to qualify for the playoffs despite finishing the year with a 48-34 win-loss record.[10] Early in his rookie season, Randolph received minimal playing time, causing some to question his attitude and work ethic, or if a possible rift might be developing between him and head coach Don Nelson.[11] Many of the Warriors' main rotation players suffered injuries throughout Randolph's rookie campaign, and the team ended the season with only a 29-53 record.[12] Nonetheless, the Warriors did play a fairly strong second half of the season, including Randolph, who averaged 13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.4 steals over the last twelve games of the year.[12]

After attending a Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs playoff game during the Warriors' offseason, Randolph became motivated to improve his play, hitting the gym hard to prepare for the following season.[13] Randolph's efforts first began to reward him in that year's Summer League being held in Las Vegas, Nevada where he not only began to dominate consistently but was also referred to by various sportswriters as being the best talent in the entire Summer League.[14][15] Among other highlights, including a then-Summer League record tying 42-point explosion in game four against the Chicago Bulls' Summer League team, Randolph was invited to attend the USA Basketball Men's National Team mini-camp following his dominant Summer League performance.[16][17] Though many believed Randolph was a lock to win Summer League MVP, the honor was given to 2009 first overall pick Blake Griffin.[18] On October 14, 2009 the Warriors extended Randolph's contract through the 2010–11 NBA season.[19]

On July 9, 2010, Randolph was traded to the New York Knicks along with Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf and a future second-round pick in a sign and trade deal for David Lee.[20]

On February 22, 2011, Randolph was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-way blockbuster deal which also involved the Denver Nuggets that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York.[21] In his first start of the year on March 24, filling in for the injured Kevin Love, Randolph recorded a career high 31 points and 11 rebounds. He followed that up with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

On July 20, 2012, Randolph signed a multi-year contract with the Denver Nuggets.[22]

On June 26, 2014, Randolph was traded, along with Doug McDermott, to the Chicago Bulls for Gary Harris, Jusuf Nurkić and a 2015 second-round pick.[23][24]

On July 14, 2014, he was traded, along with two future second round draft picks and cash considerations, to the Orlando Magic in exchange for the draft rights to forward Milovan Raković.[25] The next day, he was waived by the Magic.[26][27]

On August 18, 2014, Randolph signed a one-year deal with Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia.[28] On April 16, 2015, he was named to the All-EuroCup Second Team.[29] In July 2015, he re-signed with Lokomotiv.[30] In his second season with Lokomotiv, he reached the 2016 EuroLeague Final Four, where his team lost in the semi-finals, but managed to win the third place game.

On July 15, 2016, Randolph signed a one-year deal with Real Madrid.[31][32] On June 22, 2017, he re-signed with Real Madrid.[33] In May 2018, Real Madrid won the 2017–18 EuroLeague championship, after defeating Fenerbahçe Doğuş in the final game 85–80.[34] Over 20 EuroLeague games, Randolph averaged 8.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

In February 2020, Randolph was sidelined with a fractured finger.[35]

Randolph represented the United States national team at the 2015 Pan American Games, where he won a bronze medal.

On June 23, 2017, it was announced that Randolph would play for the senior Slovenian national team.[36] On September 17, 2017, Slovenia defeated Serbia, in the 2017 EuroBasket finals, by a score of 93–85, and thereby claimed the title of EuroBasket champions. Randolph was an important member of the team.