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New York Knicks big man Julius Randle developed his skills with other teams before he became the star that he is now. Before joining the Knicks, he was with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he formed a frontcourt duo with Anthony Davis for a single season.
Randle was slowly developing into a reliable big man during his first four years in the NBA. At that time, many thought he would be part of the plans for the LA Lakers, but he decided to move on from them after his rights were renounced in 2018. That made him an unrestricted free agent, giving the Pelicans a chance to sign him.
With the Pelicans, he averaged 21.4 points, which was the first time in his career he reached that feat. Many thought New Orleans had a bright future with Randle and Anthony Davis, but both left the organization.
Randle recently appeared on the "Roommates Show" where he talked about his decision to move on from the Pelicans with Davis.
"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.'"
Randle also shared that after declining the second year of his contract with the Pelicans, the Knicks became a clear option. That was after the Brooklyn Nets had pursued Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
"New York, that year, they were supposed to get KD and Kyrie and all that. So I wasn't even looking at that as an option. Once New York became an option, I was like, 'Man, this is where I got to go.'"
In the end, it all worked out well for all parties involved. Randle became the main guy for the Knicks while Davis won a title in his first year with the Lakers. The Pelicans, on the other hand, drafted a generational talent in Zion Williamson.
Also read: Julius Randle Injury Update: Latest on Knicks' 3x All-Star's status against Denver Nuggets
Mamba Mentality helped Julius Randle choose the Knicks
Choosing a team to play for during free agency has never been easy, even for All-Star players. Back in 2019, Julius Randle had to decide which team he wanted to join after playing for the Lakers and the Pelicans.
According to him, it wasn't an easy choice to play for the Knicks. He shared that the franchise had a bad reputation where players, especially star players, weren't interested in playing for the organization.
"I kind of felt like it was that Kobe spirit, Mamba Mentality in me, like, 'Man, let me take on this challenge,'" Randle said.
Looking at where he has led the team now, his taking the challenge of playing for the Knicks paid off as they're now a legitimate playoff team.
Guess the Lakers players!
