Julius Randle, Knicks star player says his former teammate, the late Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, and Mamba Mentality influenced his decision to come to New York.
During an appearance on Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s Roommates podcast, Randle said exposure to Bryant’s steely determination fueled his decision to take on the challenge at Madison Square Garden, leading a Knicks team perpetually among the worst in the league.
“For me, it felt like I had just been around a guy who would take on any challenge,” Randle told his teammates in an episode of their podcast. “It doesn’t matter what it was. So I kind of felt like it was like this Kobe Mamba spirit mentality in me, like a man was letting me take on this challenge and see what happens.
The Knicks only had a 133-264 record over the previous five years. Randle’s decision in 2019 to move to New York as a free agent.
As of Thursday afternoon, heading into the game against the Denver Nuggets, the Knicks were 166-138 since signing Randle, who played out his four-year rookie contract in Los Angeles.
Randle said the success he envisioned before joining the Knicks in 2019 has materialized over the past two seasons in New York.
Last season, the Knicks made the second round of the playoffs after upsetting the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-1, in the first round.
This season, the Knicks are poised to surpass themselves.
New York entered Thursday’s showdown against the defending champions in Denver on a four-game winning streak, including three straight on the road.
Before the game against the Nuggets, the Knicks were sole owners of the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and were just a game and a half behind the No. 3 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
All the while, Randle continued his rise to stardom.
He earned a third career NBA All-Star nod as a reserve this season – all three in his five seasons since joining the Knicks.
And a dislocated right shoulder derailed one of the best seasons of his career.
Randle averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists through the first 46 games of his season before the Jan. 27 injury.
“For what [did I come here]? Because everything I envisioned coming to New York is happening now,” he explained on the podcast. “I really wanted to settle down. I obviously wanted to be an All-Star, but I wanted to win here. I felt like – and this is not a shot at anyone – that New York was still seen as a place where no one wanted to come. [because of the consistent poor record].”
Randle said Bryant’s mentality influenced the way he viewed his own career.
“It’s like it’s easy to play for money and all that kind of different stuff, but this [joining the Knicks] for me, it was all about legacy,” he explained. “And not how other people look at me, but if I’m done playing, how do I want to look back on my career? Did I challenge myself? Did I push myself?
The Knicks’ 47-35 record last season marked the franchise’s best season since the 57-win 2012-13 season led by Carmelo Anthony.
Heading into the final 10 games of the regular season, the Knicks have a chance to excel again.
“And for me, everything I wanted to imagine is happening now,” Randle said on the podcast. “We’re still not there, but we’re on our way.”
