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When Julius Randle signed with the New York Knicks, there was not a lot of hype and hope around him. His move was shrugged off as a low-key star signing that wouldn't have altered the Knicks' drawing image a few years ago.
On the latest episode of the "Roommates Show," hosted by his teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, Randle opened up about why he signed with the Knicks.
“I wanted to win here. I felt like, this ain’t a shot at nobody but New York was looked at like a place that nobody wanted to come to. … I kinda felt like it was that Kobe spirit Mamba Mentality in me like man let me take on this challenge,” Randle said.
Randle added that seeing everything finally coming to fruition with the Knicks, his "legacy" move makes sense now.
“It’s easy to play for the money, but for me it was more about legacy. … If I’m done playing how do I wanna look back at my career? Did I challenge myself? Did I push myself? And for me everything I wanted to envision happen is happening now. We still not there, but you know we on the way," Randle added.
Randle started his career with LA Lakers and shared the court with Kobe Bryant. After playing four seasons with the Lakers, he signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2018-19 season.
However, the Knicks star player always had a bigger goal for himself. In July 2019, he signed a contract with his current team.
After being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2012-13 NBA Playoffs, the Knicks went seven seasons without qualifying for the playoffs. Since the 2020-21 season, they have made the postseason twice.
This year, the New York Knicks have finally emerged as one of the top teams in the league and the Eastern Conference. They are ranked fourth in the East with a 41-27 record.
Julius Randle reveals his reason for leaving Pelicans
Julius Randle is playing his 10th season in the NBA. He played with the LA Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans in the first five seasons. However, despite having abundant talent, he never made an All-Star selection in those years.
Since Randle arrived in New York, he has been an All-Star three times, won the Most Improved Player award in 2021 and made All-NBA teams twice. Perhaps it was his decision to join the Knicks that changed the trajectory of his career.
He revealed the reason behind leaving New Orleans on the same podcast. Randle talked about having a discussion with Anthony Davis on leaving.
"So by the time I got to New Orleans, I think they got the number one pick," Randle said. "And AD was like, 'I'm out of here.' I was like, 'Yeah, I'm out of here too.'"
Seems like it worked out for everyone. Randle is finally getting much-deserved recognition in New York. Davis won an NBA championship with the LA Lakers and the Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson.
During his one-year stint with the Pelicans, Julius Randle averaged 21.4 points, 3.1 assists and 8.7 rebounds.
Guess the Lakers players!
