Julius Randle has heard plenty of criticism from Knicks fans this season after being a fan-favorite just one year ago.
That continued on Wednesday night, when the former All-Star was greeted with boos during pregame introductions, just two nights after he threw the ball away and left the court on his own while teammates celebrated a win over the Bulls.
But Randle continues to say that he is committed to the Knicks, and the City, even as rumors swirl that put his Knicks future into question.
"I'm cool. My goal and what I work hard for is to make the City proud, make the fans proud," Randle said. "I play for my teammates, I play for my family, it's as simple as that.
"I love the City. My family loves it here, and I'm a Knick. I love being a Knick."
But Randle says the hardest part about his strained image from the lens of the fanbase is the impact it has on his family, who regularly sit courtside at Madison Square Garden and have heard plenty of boos hurled towards Randle for periodic lack of effort on the defensive end, flashing a thumbs down to the crowd, and an overall decline in on-court production.
"That's probably where most of my frustration comes from," Randle said. "I got my five-year-old son there, and he loves the game of basketball, and he doesn't understand what's going on. Coming from him, the time I sacrifice from him to put into this game, he's daddy's little boy. He loves his dad. For him to experience that and him being uncomfortable, having to leave the games. As a father, that's what bothered me more than anything. But at the same time, you got to understand it comes with the territory."
Randle quickly dismissed any rumor that he wants out of New York, and even while some of his on-court demeanor suggests that he isn't as engaged as he was last season, he insists that he doesn't hold any ill will towards the fanbase, and is confident the relationship can return to what it was during last year's magical run to the postseason.
"At the end of the day, the narrative can always flip," Randle said. "I understand that, I understand its New York City. I understand that's what comes with it, and I understand how passionate our fans are. You just have to live with it, the good and the bad."
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