Julius Randle’s Injury History

The Minnesota Timberwolves' power forward Julius Randle was born on November 29, 1994. The Los Angeles Lakers selected him seventh overall in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Randle, a 2013 McDonald's All-American, attended Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas. In the 2013–14 season, he joined the Kentucky Wildcats after graduating as a five-star recruit. In his lone season with the Kentucky Wildcats, he was chosen as a third-team All-American. In 2014, he was also named the SEC Rookie of the Year and first-team All-SEC. He averaged 15.0 points, 1.4 assists, and 10.4 rebounds while playing in 40 games, all of which he started during his time in college.

After being drafted, Randle broke his right leg in his regular season debut and missed the remainder of his rookie season. After four seasons with the Lakers, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Knicks for one season. He was traded to the Timberwolves by the New York Knicks in October 2024. In 2021, he was named to the All-NBA Team twice and was named an NBA All-Star three times. He also won the NBA Most Improved Player Award. In his decade-long career with the NBA, he has played in 641 games, starting 561, averaging 19.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 9.4 rebounds as of the 2023-24 season.

Julius Randle’s Injury History

Julius Randle has had 16 injuries as of November 2024, according to Fox Sports. Out of these 16 injuries, two were major, considering he missed the major chuck of the regular season: the first one was an ankle injury sustained in March 2023, and then a shoulder injury in January 2024.

Major Injuries sustained by Julius Randle in the NBA

Shoulder Injury (Jan 2024)

Julius Randle’s right shoulder was dislocated in January 2024, which turned out to be season-ending. On January 27, during New York's victory over Miami, he suffered an injury when Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. tried to draw a charge in the fourth quarter. Randle was thrown straight onto his right shoulder as he got up for a layup.

The Knicks stated back on February 1 that Randle would undergo another evaluation in two to three weeks. Randle told reporters in late February that he intended to make a comeback and that he did not want to have season-ending surgery. He and the Knicks have determined that surgery is the best course of action for him then, with just one and a half weeks left in the NBA regular season.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that he had surgery in April 2024 for a shoulder injury. Wojnarowski wrote, "Randle’s done everything possible to avoid surgery and return for the playoffs, but procedure became an increasing inevitability after recent visits to two specialists who warned of further injury and possible permanent damage to shoulder if he returned to play before a surgical procedure."

On April 4, 2024, the New York Knicks said that Randle would be reassessed in five months after undergoing season-ending surgery on his right shoulder.

Ankle Injury (Mar 2023)

In June 2024, the New York Knicks revealed that Julius Randle had had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle. He missed the final two weeks of the regular season due to an ankle injury he sustained at the end of March. Randle missed Game 1 of the Knicks' second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat because of the same ankle injury, even though he was able to suit up for the start of the postseason.

Then, according to the Knicks, he will be able to fully heal before the 2023–24 season begins. The initial injury happened during a game against the Miami Heat on March 29. He landed on Bam Adebayo's foot after jumping for a rebound after Immanuel Quickley missed a 3-pointer. He limped back to the locker room after attempting free throws after the foul call since he had severely injured his ankle during the play. He was then sidelined for the final five regular season games by the Knicks.

That injury was exacerbated in Game 4 of New York's first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers after he had recovered to be prepared for the playoffs. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau claimed at the time that Randle's sprained left ankle was the reason he didn't play in the game's fourth quarter. He missed Game 1 against the Heat because of the injury, but he did play in Game 5 of New York's series-winning victory.

Randle’s injuries, as per Fox Sports, are as follows: