Before Julius Randle became a three-time All-Star and the emotional engine of Minnesota's playoff push, he was a wide-eyed rookie in Los Angeles who understood what it meant to share the court with a legend.
Randle recently spoke about his time with Kobe Bryant, recalling the awe and harsh lessons that shaped his career.
“I would probably say I shared the court with Kobe every day,” Randle said on the Young and the Trio podcast. “Just because growing up as a Lakers fan, you didn't have cable as a kid and you just watched the local channel or whatever. So the Lakers were the only team that played on national television most of the time. So to see that growing up, to be a Kobe fan, to be a Lakers fan, and then to be drafted by the Lakers and share the ball with him every day It felt unreal. It was like, 'Is this guy real? Is he a human being?' Every time he said anything and did anything, you were like, 'Oh my god, Kobe is going to get up and go to the bathroom.'
'Sharing the court with him every day, it was unreal' – Julius Randle on the beauty of playing with Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/UpntwuI03H
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) November 7, 2025
Bryant's intensity and competitive fervor were legendary, and Randle admitted that embracing that energy wasn't always easy.
“It hurt, it hurt. I was cursed a lot and it just stuck with me. I would go home and it would ruin my day,” Randall continued. “It's like I'd come home from school and my mom was mad at me, or something like that. You have an idol and you don't want to do anything to disappoint him. You have that feeling where he's like, 'Mom, what are you doing? Go to the gym!' But, that tough love was exactly what I needed early in my career and it helped me get to where I am now.”
READ MORE: Mavericks front office reportedly weighing Nico Harrison’s future
