Julius Randle is a fierce competitor. He has demonstrated that with the New York Knicks, taking his game and his team to the next level. Of course, this isn’t anything new since the player was always looking for new challenges and going against the best ballers.
In 2014, when he was entering the league, Randle showed his confidence and desire to compete against the best. On an interview with GQ ahead of the 2014 NBA draft, the University of Kentucky product stated he was ready to let people know he was a problem.
“I’m mostly looking forward to competing,” he said. “I feel I have a lot to prove. My goal is to prove that I’m the best.”
At that time, LeBron James’ free agency was a big thing around the league since people didn’t know if the King would stay with Miami or take his talents elsewhere. One of the possibilities for Bron was going to the Lakers, but that didn’t happen. So it was good for Randle, who said he’d rather face -and beat- LeBron than being on his team.
“I’d rather play against LeBron. I just have an older mentality. I want to beat the best. Maybe in the future I’d want to play with him. I’ve been watching him my whole life. I’d rather compete against him and try and beat him than be on his team.”
This is something bold to say, but you have to beat the best if you want to be the best. Randle apparently kept this in mind during his stint with the Lakers. Once James signed with the team, he reportedly wanted out of the franchise.
After finishing his time in Los Angeles, where he shared some valuable time with Kobe Bryant, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018.
Now he’s with the New York Knicks, doing impressive things at the Madison Square Garden, on the verge of sealing their first playoff appearance since 2013. Things have drastically changed for Randle, who is getting MVP buzz lately, and his team. They turned things around and now will be a tough rival in the postseason for anybody trying to win it all.
