PHILADELPHIA - Shavlik Randolph's evolution from the next big thing at Raleigh's Broughton High School to a limping disappointment at Duke to an unlikely early leaper to the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers follows a line from hope to anguish to redemption.

It sounds like another Philadelphia sports story, the movie "Rocky," except this one is true.

After a recent preseason workout, the 6-foot-10 Randolph sat down to lunch at a hotel and spoke at length about being at a level he long dreamed of attaining, but few thought he could reach.

At Broughton, Randolph was talked about as a potential NBA lottery pick. He was a McDonald's All-American. Florida's Billy Donovan, Roy Williams, then at Kansas, and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski came to his home to woo him before Duke won out.

But injuries hobbled Randolph even before he got to Duke. Once there, a bout of mononucleosis compounded his problems. By the end of his junior year, he had played 92 games and averaged only 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

Instead of returning for his final year at Duke, Randolph announced he was leaving for the NBA. Basketball observers scoffed. He was not drafted. The story could have ended there, a familiar tale of hype and bust.

But Randolph believes in a different story. His hero since childhood is the movie boxer Rocky Balboa, who in "Rocky" beat the odds with faith, relentless conditioning and the ability to take a punch.

"I don't think people understand how much 'Rocky' has played a role in developing my mind-set in my pursuit of my dreams," Randolph said. "Rocky to me is more than a 5-9 boxer who gets beat up every night in the ring. It represents the human heart and the million-to-one shot."

Randolph's shot came when 76ers president and general manager Billy King, a former Duke player, brought Randolph in for a tryout and decided to sign him. As a rookie power forward, he averaged 2.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 8.5 minutes per game in 57 games.

Fans admired Randolph as he hustled after offensive rebounds and on defense. When he came off the bench last season, there were calls of "Rocky."

After earning the NBA-minimum $398,000 in his rookie season, the Sixers re-signed Randolph in July to a two-year contract worth more than $2 million, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

King said of Randolph, "He gives us athletic ability at the four spot, rebounding, high energy, and it's good to have him in this situation now. Now, he knows he's a part of us, and so now he's got a lot of work to do to continue to get better."

Randolph doesn't resent those who questioned why he left Duke early on an improbable adventure.

"If I was looking at me, I'd be like, 'What is that kid doing?' " he said.

What he was doing, only he fully understood.

"Sometimes you've got to make decisions based on what your heart is telling you, not what your mind is telling you," he said.

Randolph was thinking about more than making the NBA. He thought he could be a starter, even a leading player. But he wasn't going to admit those ambitions while he was struggling at Duke.

"My goals in basketball have never changed. I couldn't be as open about them when I was playing at Duke," he said. "I couldn't say I wanted to be an NBA All-Star. I always kept that to myself because people would laugh at me."

Randolph said his father, Kenny, advised him to go back to Duke, but he was set on going to the NBA.

"I remember looking him in the eyes and telling him, 'I'm going to do this, and Dad, I'm going to make it.' I was like, 'You can believe me or not.' He looked at me and said, he's like, 'Son, you know I always support you and I believe you 100 percent. You're going to do it.'

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