Knicks All-Star Credits NBA Legend For Helping Save Career
A little bit of Magic helped future New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle reclaim the narrative on his NBA career.
Randle flashed back to his humble Association origins on "7PM in Brooklyn," the podcast co-hosted by former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, explaining that a meeting with Lakers legend Magic Johnson changed the trajectory of his career.
"I get to my fourth year, we get to training camp and I remember going into that summer, Magic had took over," Randle recalled, referring to Johnson's brief term as the Lakers' president of basketball operations. "I'm used to Magic smiling, you know what I mean, shaking everybody's hand. I went into that meetings, and I see a different Magic."
"I see why he was a leader. He challenged me, he was like 'bro, you've got to go, get into the best shape possible.' So I did all that. I was in the best shape. I come back, I'm ready."
It's been rendered almost long-forgotten in the wake of his rise to glory in Manhattan, but Randle's NBA career inauspiciously began in Southern California as the Los Angeles Lakers' pick of the 2013 draft. An injury limited Randle to but one game in his rookie season before a slow start among the rebuilding Lakers, one that struggled to justify his billing as the seventh overall choice (12.2 points in his first two full seasons).
When Randle returned for his third full season with the Lakers, the last on his rookie contract, he was not in the starting lineup, instead replaced by a combination of Larry Nance and Brook Lopez. But Randle recalled the change of character in the normally jovial Johnson to push him through that trying season.
"At the beginning, it was a struggle for me, because I always started my whole career," Randle to hosts Anthony and The Kid Mero. "I had to look in the mirror and be like 'listen, dog, whatever it is ... you've got to be in control of the situation ... no matter what, I've got to prove to the coach that he needs me in the game to win. I've got to figure out how I can affect winning."
Though the Lakers struggled, Randle wound up making his point: he would average 16.0 points on 55.8 percent from the field and was back in the starting lineup by December. He wound up finishing fifth in the Most Improved Player vote won by Indiana's Victor Oladipo.
Unfortunately for Randle, that wasn't enough to convince Johnson and Co. that he needed anothe gold contract, as he'd later sign with the New Orleans Pelicans. But after two seasons in the Big Easy, Randle joined up with the Knicks and has flourished in Manhattan, landing three All-Star berths over the past four years.
Johnson never played a minute beyond Laker purple but it appears that the Knicks have to thank him for at least one assist.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks