Julius Randle Wanted To Follow In Kobe Bryant’s Footsteps, Spend Entire Career With Lakers

New York Knicks big man Julius Randle told teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson on their podcast that he wanted to follow in Kobe Bryant‘s footsteps by spending his entire NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The Lakers drafted Randle with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Randle only played one game during his rookie season, as he broke his right leg on opening night against the Houston Rockets. 

Randle spent four seasons with the Lakers before signing with the New Orleans Pelicans in July 2018. Los Angeles needed to clear cap space to sign LeBron James, so the franchise renounced its free-agent exception rights on Randle, making him an unrestricted free agent. 

Randle averaged 13.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists with the Lakers. The lefty only spent one season with the Pelicans, averaging 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists. 

In the summer of 2019, Randle signed with the Knicks. Since joining New York, Randle has made three All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams. He also won the 2020-21 Most Improved Player of the Year Award. 

Randle is currently out with a dislocated right shoulder. He suffered his injury on January 27 against the Miami Heat.

According to NBA reporter Fred Katz of The Athletic, Randle is “pushing hard” to return from his injury. 

“Behind the scenes, Randle is pushing hard to return,” Katz wrote. “His pain tolerance is without question ‘insane,’ as one person close to him recently described it, but he’s human. Maybe Randle can fight through anguish, but maybe fighting through it still affects him.”

Randle is averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks this season while shooting 47.2% from the floor, 31.1% from beyond the arc and 78.1% from the free-throw line. He has 18 double-doubles and one triple-double. 

The Knicks are 42-28 on the season. They are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.