Julius Randle has been through the wringer in New York.
Since joining the Knicks, Randle has been both the most beloved and hated athlete at Madison Square Garden, even as recently as this past season.
Randle signed with the Knicks as a free agent before the 2019 season, and in 2020-21 was named an All-Star for the first time and earned the NBA's Most Improved honors, warming the hearts of his fans.
However, poor performances in the playoffs put him back on thin ice, and after a contract extension, more poor play followed, which led to boos. Even this past season, Randle returned to All-Star form, but a seemingly bad attitude at times and another bad postseason (it should be noted he sprained the same ankle twice in less than a month), he's now again on the Knicks' faithful bad side.
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However, despite the up-and-down treatment, he wouldn't want to have it any other way.
"The Garden is a different animal," Randle said. "The hardest thing for me is my family and my son…that’s the toughest thing, but I love it. It’s made me who I am today," Randle said on Paul George's podcast. "It taught me so much about myself and as a player…it taught me a lot of who I am as a person. I’ve grown a lot.
"That s--- will age you, bro. It’s almost like you’re the president. You go in there, you see them, and they look great at first. Then four years later, they got the image, and they look old as hell. That’s how I feel right now."
Even during the playoffs, fans were seen ripping down a Randle poster and stomping on it outside of Madison Square Garden. But the two-time All-Star says that's a very low minority of fans.
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"You look at it from a media perspective, you’re like ‘Damn, it’s hard being there,’" Randle said. "But I go on walks all the time throughout the city, and I’m out, and it’s so much love. The fans, the interactions, face-to-face, it’s so much love. And we haven’t won s---. We got to the second round. But they’re so appreciative…you look elsewhere, you wouldn’t think it, but it’s cool."
Randle, though, did admit some of the hatred was his own fault. During a game in 2021-22 in the midst of a cold streak, Randle, after making a basket, gave the fans a thumbs down, essentially booing them in response to them booing him.
"Don’t do the thumbs down. That didn’t work out well for me," he joked.
The Knicks fell in the second round to the Miami Heat in their second playoff appearance in the last three seasons, the furthest they've gotten in 10 years. But Randle wants more.
"We’re not that far off, and that’s motivating for me," Randle said. "In my mind, I’m like, ‘How can I be the best version of myself to help the team win?’"
