Julius Randle knew something was wrong with him last March, when his son Kyden started to imitate his distressed behavior on the court.
Kyden was playing basketball in his miniature hoop and scored while his father gave him, “a little touch of love in the play. ”
“And you, I swear, he turns around, looks at his mother, the judge, and starts looking at her,” Randle wrote in his spectacular rehearsal for the Players’ Tribune last week.
“He gives his mom that ‘you’re kidding me’ face, throws his arms in the air, and then starts attacking her – you know, like: No phone?!? Where’s the connection?!?
“And we are having a breakdown, of course – we thought, ‘Oh my God. Where did he learn that from? But it’s also like … Oh, damn it. He inherited it from me. That’s how negative I have been in court these days. And in all seriousness, I think I realized, like, OK – if I’m making that kind of impression on Kyden, what kind of impression could I be making on all these other younger fans watching me?
“Man, I hated that thought, ” Randle wrote.
A year later, Randle and his family were in Atlanta this weekend as an All-Star for the first time. His wife Kendra, whom he met in Kentucky, and Kyden, now 4, were due to sit next to the court at the State Farm Arena on Sunday night.
That’s how life can change quickly like a Knick.
“I don’t know if he fully understands this,” said Randle before playing for Team Durant in Sunday night’s competition. “He definitely has a good idea of everything that is going on. He’s enjoying it. He definitely knows it is something that is not normal and cool. He’s definitely loving it. He loves to walk around saying that he is a famous boy. He’s enjoying it. ”
Ironically, Kyden was heard crying in the background briefly on Zoom’s call. Randle admitted he didn’t know why, but it certainly isn’t because his father failed to make him proud.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that by entering the All-Star range, Randle is playing as an “All-NBA player”. Three All-NBA teams are announced after the season and Randle’s numbers – if they continue – can easily get him there if the Knicks make it to the playoffs.
Randle, 26, admitted in a recent podcast that he cried when coaches in training voted him as an All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference.
“It was more, as far as being named All-Star, it was more of the journey, ” Randle said on Sunday. “I have enjoyed the seven years in the league so far, the journey and the process, year after year and the toil, hard work, sacrifice, commitment throughout the process. It made me reflect and appreciate this process more than anything. ”
The Knicks are in fifth place in the East thanks to the will of Randle’s ironman.
He didn’t lose a game. He has an average of 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He spent the past two weeks thinking deeply about how he was so disappointed that he failed as a leader in his first season during the Knicks confusion last season.
Now you can call on the Knicks leader, Captain Randle, although Thibodeau does not believe in awarding titles.
“It means a lot – it’s a responsibility that I really enjoy, ” said Randle. “A lot of things about my form of leadership is being vocal, but I try to set an example – how I approach work and study the game. Do things the right way. It is a great responsibility that I love to have. I hope that in the second half I will continue to do this and be the best leader I can be. Hopefully, that translates to victories. ”
Ironically, when the Knicks picked Obi Toppin in the lottery in November, it was speculated that he could supplant Randle as a starting point.
It looks so silly now. Toppin proved to be a great diver, but he is clearly a student of Randle. On Sunday, at the break, “Air Obi ” would be one of three participants in the dunk contest.
Randle was scheduled for the “Skills Challenge” before the game. On Saturday night, Randle saw dunk training before entering the court with the skill contestants.
“Obi is winning the dunk contest for sure, ” Randle said during his noon visit to Zoom. “What I saw yesterday was absolutely crazy, insane. I am definitely willing to bet that he will win the dunk contest and do a great job and represent New York well. “
And Randle wanted to have fun too, on Sunday, in the battle against Team LeBron.
“I want the experience to resonate because I want to do it more often,” said Randle.