Julius Randle’s Rare Childhood Picture Showing Kobe Bryant Fandom Will Make Knicks Fans Emotional

Kobe Bryant was a giant figure who inspired a whole generation of athletes around the world. Kobe spent 20 years in LA and won five championships with the city-based franchise. He was an important part of the Lakers team that won the three-peat during the early 2000s.

Kobe’s stardom wasn’t just restricted to the city of Los Angeles, but way beyond that. He was instrumental in uplifting NBA’s global image. Kobe inspired many present NBA stars and Knicks forward Julius Randle is among his biggest fans. However, unlike others, Julius actually had the opportunity to play alongside Kobe at the Lakers. It was a dream come true for the Texas-born star.

Randle played alongside Kobe for two seasons, before the ‘Black Mamba’ decided to retire. Upon joining the Lakers, Randle posted a picture of him wearing a Kobe jersey on his Instagram. This picture recently resurfaced on Twitter.

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Knicks fans react to Julius Randle’s childhood picture in a Kobe Bryant jersey

Julius Randle posted his childhood picture on Instagram in 2014 after joining the Lakers. Julius was wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey in his Instagram picture which was captioned: “Oh y’all didn’t know I grew up a LAKER fan?”

However, this picture recently went viral on Twitter and could make Knicks fans emotional. This picture would have surely made Kobe feel old in 2014. In fact, Julius Randle was born in 1994, two years before Kobe Bryant’s NBA debut. Kobe deeply influenced Randle’s career and the Knocks star learned some important lessons from the NBA legend. Earlier this year, Randle revealed that he wished Kobe was there to see his breakout season with the Knicks.

The Lakers drafted Julius Randle 7th overall during the 2014 NBA Draft. Many saw him as a potential for the future. However, it didn’t work, and the Lakers renounced him in 2018. But Randle bounced back and had impressive numbers with the Knicks last season. He averaged 24.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 6 APG last season, all being his career-best.

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