Julius Randle Facts for Kids

Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Julius is a very talented player. He has been chosen for the NBA All-Star team three times. He also won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2021.

Before joining the NBA, Julius played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was recognized as a top college player. The Los Angeles Lakers drafted him in 2014 as the seventh overall pick. Sadly, he broke his leg in his first NBA game. After playing for the Lakers for four years, he joined the New Orleans Pelicans. Then, he moved to the New York Knicks before joining the Timberwolves.

High School Basketball Star
College Journey at Kentucky
Professional Basketball Career
National Team Experience
Personal Life
See also

High School Basketball Star

Julius Randle performs a reverse dunk during a high school game.

Julius Randle went to Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas. People thought he was one of the top five high school players in his class.

In August 2012, Julius won a dunk contest. The next day, he was named one of the best players in a special game. He scored 27 points in that game. Experts also ranked him as the number one power forward in the country.

During his senior year, Julius broke his foot. He missed three months of playing. But he came back in March 2013. He led his team to win their third state championship in four years. In his senior season, he averaged 32.5 points and 22.5 rebounds per game.

In March 2013, Julius decided to play college basketball for Kentucky. He was also chosen to play in two big high school all-star games. In 2023, his high school retired his jersey number 30. This was the first time the school had retired a number for an athlete.

College Journey at Kentucky

Julius Randle was a key player for the Kentucky Wildcats. In February 2014, he was named a semi-finalist for a top college player award. He helped Kentucky reach the national championship game in 2014. They played against the University of Connecticut but lost.

Julius had a fantastic season. He recorded 24 "double-doubles." A double-double means a player gets double-digit numbers in two stats, like points and rebounds. This was the second-highest number of double-doubles in Kentucky's history. It was also the most ever for a freshman player at Kentucky. He averaged 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

In April 2014, Julius decided to enter the NBA draft. He chose to leave college early to pursue his professional career.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting with the Los Angeles Lakers (2014–2018)

The Los Angeles Lakers picked Julius Randle as the seventh player in the 2014 NBA draft. But his first NBA game was tough. After only 14 minutes of playing, he broke his right leg. He had surgery and missed the rest of his first season.

Julius Randle playing for the Lakers in 2015.

Julius returned to play in July 2015. Exactly one year after his injury, he scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his first game back. In December, he set a new personal record with 19 rebounds in a game. In March 2016, he achieved his first "triple-double." This means he had double-digit numbers in three stats: points, rebounds, and assists. He was the youngest Lakers player to do this since Magic Johnson.

Julius continued to improve with the Lakers. In November 2016, he matched his career high with 20 rebounds. In March 2017, he scored a career-high 32 points in a game. During the 2017–18 season, he played in all 82 games. He averaged 18.6 points and 9.1 rebounds as a starter.

Playing for the New Orleans Pelicans (2018–2019)

In July 2018, Julius Randle signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. In his first game with the Pelicans, he scored 25 points. In November, he recorded his sixth career triple-double. He had 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in just 25 minutes.

In December, he scored a new career-high of 37 points. Two days later, he had 27 points and 18 rebounds. In March 2019, he set another career high, scoring 45 points in a game. After one season, he decided to become a free agent again.

Time with the New York Knicks (2019–2024)

In July 2019, Julius Randle signed a three-year contract with the New York Knicks. He had an amazing season in 2020–21. In February 2021, he scored 44 points and made seven three-pointers. He was chosen as an NBA All-Star for the first time.

After the season, Julius was named the NBA Most Improved Player. He received almost all the first-place votes. He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team. However, the Knicks lost in the first round of the playoffs that year.

The Knicks extended his contract in August 2021. In March 2022, Julius scored a new career-high of 46 points. He also made eight three-pointers in that game. Later that season, he had a quad injury and missed the rest of the games.

In December 2022, Julius scored 41 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. In January 2023, he had 42 points and 15 rebounds. He was the first Knicks player since Patrick Ewing in 1996 to achieve this. In February 2023, he was named an NBA All-Star for the second time. In March, he scored a career-high 57 points in a game. This was the most points by a Knick since Carmelo Anthony in 2014. He suffered an ankle sprain in March 2023. He played through the playoffs but re-injured his ankle.

In February 2024, Julius was named an All-Star for the third time. In April, it was announced he would need shoulder surgery. This meant he would miss the rest of the 2024 season.

Joining the Minnesota Timberwolves (2024–present)

On October 2, 2024, Julius Randle was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He joined the team as part of a big trade involving three teams.

He made his Timberwolves debut on October 22, scoring 16 points against his former team, the Lakers. In November, he hit a game-winning three-pointer at the last second. This shot gave the Timberwolves a 120–117 victory.

In the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Julius had a triple-double in a game against the Golden State Warriors. He became only the second Timberwolves player to get a triple-double in the playoffs. He also scored a playoff career-high 31 points in another game against the Warriors. The Timberwolves made it to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

National Team Experience

In 2016, Julius Randle was part of the US Select Team. This team practiced against the main United States national team. They helped the national team prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Personal Life

Julius Randle's mother, Carolyn Kyles, also played basketball in college. Julius is a Christian. He often visited the team chapel before home games in college.

Julius is married to Kendra Shaw. They welcomed their first child in December 2016.

Julius Randle facts for kids

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