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Knicks power forward Julius Randle didn’t manage a triple-double, but he won the triple All-Star title on Sunday.
He competed in the skills contest, was used as a prop in the Slam Dunk contest, and played 13 minutes in his first All-Star game.
In limited action in the main event, Randle scored two first buckets – one on a motive power dunk – for four points and threw an alley pass to Donovan Mitchell for a dunk.
“It’s been a long day,” Randle said. “I’m not going to lie. ”
After playing all 38 Knicks games and leading the NBA in total minutes, he was well in the process of taking a back spot as his team Durant suffered a 170-150 loss to Team LeBron.
“It’s a good thing,” Randle said of his limited minutes. “I’m leading the league in minutes. This is a good thing. Believe me, I’m fine.
“It was great. Definitely everything I imagined to be a part of it. I had a lot of fun, [was] excited. This is something that I want to do a lot more of. It was a great experience, the conversations. It was an experience I will never forget – the first one. ”
At halftime, Knicks rookie Obi Toppin summoned Randle to his father’s side so he could jump over the two.
“I was confident,” said Randle. “He did it like 10 times [Saturday]. [Saturday], I was worried. Today he did it so much that I had nothing to fear. ”
On March 11, Randle was at a low point when he realized his first season as the Knick had ended due to the pandemic, without changing his disappointing season.
Flash forward a year later, and Randle and his family were in Atlanta this weekend. His wife Kendra, whom he met in Kentucky, and his now 4-year-old son Kyden sat in court at State Farm Arena on Sunday night.
This is how quickly life can change as a Knick.
“He likes it,” Randle said of his son. “He really knows that this is something that is neither normal nor cool. He really loves it. He loves to walk around saying he’s a star child. He appreciates it. ”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that entering the all-star break Randle was playing like an “All-NBA player”. Three All-NBA teams are announced after the season and Randle’s numbers – if they hold up – could easily get him there if the Knicks make the playoffs.
Randle, 26, admitted in a recent podcast that he cried when apprenticeship coaches elected him as the All-Star Reserve for the Eastern Conference.
“It was more, as much as being named an All-Star, it was more of the trip,” Randle said on Sunday. “I appreciate the seven years so far in the league, the course and the process, year after year, and the hard work, sacrifice and commitment throughout the process. It made me think about and appreciate this process more than anything. ”
The Knicks are in fifth place in the East thanks to Randle’s ironman will.
He didn’t miss a game. He averages 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He has spent the past two weeks thinking deeply about how he was so disappointed to have failed as a leader in his first season during the Knicks mess last season.
You can now call Knicks chief Captain Randle, even if Thibodeau doesn’t believe in awarding titles.
“It means a lot – it’s a responsibility I really appreciate,” Randle said. “A lot of the way I lead is to be heard, but I try to set an example – how I approach the work and I study the game. Do it right. It is a great responsibility that I like to have. I hope I will continue to do so in the second half and be the best leader I can be. Hope this translates into victories. ”
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