Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the New York Knicks of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

and was awarded the

NBA Most Improved Player Award The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...

. In his only season of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

with the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

, Randle was named a third-team All-American. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

with the seventh overall pick. In his regular season debut, Randle broke his right leg and missed the remainder of his rookie season. After four years with the Lakers, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Knicks after one season.

High school career

20130403 MCDAAG Julius Randle reverse dunk (2)

Randle attended

Prestonwood Christian Academy Prestonwood Christian Academy (PCA) is a private Christian School that serves more than 1,600 students enrolled at three campuses: PCA Plano in Plano ( Pre-Kindergarten 3 through 12th grade), PCA North in Prosper ( Pre-Kindergarten 3 through 10t ...

Plano, Texas Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. History European settlers came to the area near ...

, where he was widely regarded as a top 5 player in the class of 2013 with

Andrew Wiggins Andrew Christian Wiggins (born February 23, 1995) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the List of first overall NBA draft picks, first ov ...

Jabari Parker Jabari Ali Parker (born March 15, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the second overall pick in th ...

, Andrew Harrison, and

Aaron Gordon Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the University of Arizona before bein ...

. In August 2012, Randle won the Under Armour Elite 24 dunk Contest and the next day he was named one of the MVPs of the Elite 24 game, where he scored 27 points and led his team to a 164–138 victory. Considered a five-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Randle was listed as the No. 1 power forward and the No. 2 player in the nation in 2013. The weekend after

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

in his senior season, Randle fractured his foot playing in a tournament and missed three months as a result. In March 2013, Randle returned for the

TAPPS The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in the Lone Star Tower at Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas. It was formerly headquartered at the Salado Civic Center in Salado, Texas. Fou ...

5A playoffs and led his team to its third state title in four years. As a senior in 2012–13, Randle averaged 32.5 points and 22.5 rebounds per game. On March 20, 2013, Randle committed to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, choosing it over

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. He then joined twin brothers

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

and

Aaron Harrison Aaron Malik Harrison (born October 28, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Kaohsiung Steelers of the P. League+. He was considered one of the top high school recruits in 2013 and played college basketball for the University o ...

, James Young,

Dakari Johnson Dakari Naeem Johnson (born September 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky ...

and

Marcus Lee Marcus Lee (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Reggiana of the Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats and University of California Golden Bears. High sch ...

as the sixth incoming Kentucky player selected to play in the

2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game The 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game is an All-star basketball game that was played on April 3, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It is the 36th annual McDonald's All-American Game for high school boys. The g ...

, as well as the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic.

College career

On February 28, 2014, Randle was named one of the 10 semi-finalists for the

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. History an ...

. He went on to help Kentucky reach the national championship game, which they lost to the University of Connecticut. He ended the 2013–14 season with 24 double-doubles, the second most double-doubles by a UK player in school history, behind

Dan Issel Daniel Paul Issel (born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the University of Kentucky, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per ...

's 25 in 1969–70, and the most double-doubles by a UK freshman (the previous record was shared by

DeMarcus Cousins DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wil ...

and Anthony Davis at 20). In 40 games (all starts), he averaged 15.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.8 minutes per game. On April 22, 2014, Randle declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2014–2018)

Randle was selected with the seventh overall pick in the

by the Los Angeles Lakers. On October 28, 2014, after only 14 minutes of official NBA playing time, Randle broke his right tibia during the Lakers' 2014–15 season opener against the Houston Rockets. He underwent successful surgery the following day to repair the fracture, and subsequently missed the rest of the season. On March 9, 2015, he was cleared to participate in full weight-bearing, non-contact basketball activities. Randle returned to action in July 2015 with the Lakers' Summer League team. Exactly a year after injuring himself in his NBA debut, Randle had 15 points and 11 rebounds as a starter in a 112–111 season-opening loss to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. On December 2, he recorded 15 points and a then career-high 19 rebounds in a 108–104 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. On January 29, 2016, he scored a career-high 23 points in a loss to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. He matched that mark on March 8, recording 23 points and 11 rebounds in a 107–98 win over the Orlando Magic. On March 25, he recorded his first career

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

with 13 points, 18 rebounds and a then career-high 10 assists in a 116–105 loss to the Denver Nuggets. At 21 years old, he became the youngest Lakers player with a triple-double since Magic Johnson. Six days later, he hit a game winning hook shot in the paint with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to lift the Lakers to a 102–100 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. On April 6, he set a career high with 20 rebounds in a 91–81 loss to the Clippers. He appeared in all 15 games to begin the 2016–17 season before missing three straight in late November because of a hip injury. On November 30, 2016, he had 13 points and matched a career-high with 20 rebounds in a 96–90 win over the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. On March 15, 2017, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 139–100 loss to the Houston Rockets. Randle began 2017–18 as a

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

, while Larry Nance Jr. started at power forward. He excelled as a backup

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

when the team went to a small lineup, and he returned to the starting lineup on December 29, 2017. On December 31, Randle set season highs with 29 points and 15 rebounds in a 148–142 double overtime loss to the Houston Rockets. On March 11, 2018, he had a career-high 36 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a 127–113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Randle finished the season as the only Laker to appear in all 82 games. As a starter, he averaged 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He became a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

after the season.

New Orleans Pelicans (2018–2019)

On July 2, 2018, the Lakers renounced Randle, making him an unrestricted free agent. On July 9, Randle signed a two-year, $18 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. In his debut for the Pelicans in their season opener on October 17, Randle had 25 points off the bench in a 131–112 win over the Houston Rockets. On November 19, he recorded his sixth career triple-double with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in 25 minutes in a 140–126 win over the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. On December 3, he scored a career-high 37 points in a 129–126 loss to the

. Two days later, he had 27 points and 18 rebounds in a 132–106 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On February 27, 2019, he scored 35 points in a 125–119 loss to the Lakers. On March 15, he scored a career-high 45 points in a 122–110 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. He declined his second-year player option on June 16, 2019, and became a free agent.

New York Knicks (2019–present)

On July 9, 2019, Randle signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the New York Knicks. On February 16, 2021, Randle scored 44 points and logged a career-high seven 3-pointers in a 123–112 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. On February 23, Randle was named as a reserve for the

2021 NBA All-Star Game The 2021 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on March 7, 2021, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season. It was the 70th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was hosted at State Farm Arena in ...

. On April 16, Randle tied his season high 44 points, while also recording 10 rebounds and 7 assists, to lead the Knicks to a 117–109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. After the end of the regular season, Randle was named the

NBA Most Improved Player The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...

, receiving 98 of 100 first place votes. He was also named to the

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...

as a forward. After Randle's breakthrough season, the Knicks extended his contract on August 27, 2021, with a four-year, $117 million extension. On March 22, 2022, Randle was fined $40,000 by the NBA for an incident with a game official, which occurred two days earlier during a 93–108 loss to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. On April 2, Knicks head coach

Tom Thibodeau Thomas Joseph Thibodeau Jr. ( ; born January 17, 1958) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served as an assistant coach for the United States men's national ...

said that Randle would "likely" be out for the remainder of the season with a quad injury.

National team career

In the 2016 off-season, Randle joined the US Select Team that practiced against the United States men's national team ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

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, 81 , , 60 , , 28.2 , , .429 , , .278 , , .715 , , 10.2 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 73 , , 28.8 , , .488 , , .270 , , .723 , , 8.6 , , 3.6 , , .7 , , .5 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 49 , , 26.7 , , .558 , , .222 , , .718 , , 8.0 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .5 , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 73 , , 49 , , 30.6 , , .524 , , .344 , , .731 , , 8.7 , , 3.1 , , .7 , , .6 , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 64 , , 64 , , 32.5 , , .460 , , .277 , , .733 , , 9.7 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 19.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 71 , , 71 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 37.6* , , .456 , , .411 , , .811 , , 10.2 , , 6.0 , , .9 , , .3 , , 24.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 72 , , 72 , , 35.3 , , .411 , , .308 , , .756 , , 9.9 , , 5.1 , , .7 , , .5 , , 20.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 518 , , 438 , , 31.2 , , .472 , , .332 , , .743 , , 9.3 , , 3.6 , , .7 , , .5 , , 17.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 5 , , 5 , , 36.0 , , .298 , , .333 , , .852 , , 11.6 , , 4.0 , , .6 , , .0 , , 18.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 5 , , 5 , , 36.0 , , .298 , , .333 , , .852 , , 11.6 , , 4.0 , , .6 , , .0 , , 18.0 , - class="sortbottom"

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 40 , , 30.8 , , .501 , , .167 , , .706 , , 10.4 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .8 , , 15.0

Personal life

Randle is the son of Carolyn Kyles, who played basketball at Texas. He is a devout Christian. In college, he visited the team chapel before every home game. Randle is married to Kendra Shaw. In December 2016, Shaw gave birth to the couple's first child.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randle, Julius 1994 births Living people African-American basketball players African-American Christians All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Dallas Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans New Orleans Pelicans players Power forwards (basketball) National Basketball Association All-Stars 21st-century African-American sportspeople