Julius Randle is one of the few current players that can proudly claim he shared the floor with Kobe Bryant. Even though his early career was impeded due to unfortunate injuries, Randle got to call Bryant a teammate and a mentor until Kobe’s retirement in 2016.
Randle recently appeared on Paul George’s podcast and revealed how he grew up as a Kobe and Laker fan, watching Laker games every Christmas at his grandmother’s.
“My grandma used to live in southeast Texas and we used to go visit her, and I don’t know if you know about the country, but when you go out there if you don’t got cable, you got three channels… That’s how I became a Lakers fan. You only got the three channels right? That’s all you got. So, during Christmas, ABC, the Lakers were always on. That was the only time I could watch basketball and that’s how I became a Kobe (Bryant) fan and a Laker fan hailing from Dallas.”
"My grandma used to live in southeast Texas and [in the country] if you don't got cable, you got 3 channels… So during Christmas, the Lakers were always on… That's how I became a Kobe [Bryant] fan and Lakers fan."
— Julius Randle
(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/sGpSpv6NZO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 20, 2023
Randle played 81 games during Kobe’s retirement season, returning from a broken right tibia to play with consistency and show the Lakers didn’t make a mistake drafting him in 2014.
He averaged 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in that season and shared the floor with Kobe as he scored 60 points in the greatest retirement game in league history.
Julius Randle Carving Out A Decent Career
We never think of Randle when we talk about stars in the NBA, but he is having a better career than most give him credit for. His early years on the Lakers and one season with the Pelicans didn’t see him become a superstar, but he established himself as a valuable young player in the league before signing with the New York Knicks in 2019.
With the Knicks, Randle has been named to two All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams, leading the team to the playoffs in those seasons. He also won Most Improved Player in 2021, establishing himself as one of the cornerstones of the new Knicks, which have been competitive for the first time in over a decade.
His career average is 18.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists and he has had a tough relationship with the fans in NY due to his playoff disappointments, but Kobe would likely have appreciated seeing what Randle has achieved in the NBA.
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