Julius Randle made one of the biggest mistakes a professional athlete could make, he told New York sports fans to “STFU” after a win against the Boston Celtics. Randle has been the blunt of the abuse by New York Knicks fans for the ills the team has had this season, but he made things worse for himself with his hand gestures to the fans in that game against Boston.
Four days later against the San Antonio Spurs it was “payback time” for the Knick fans as they booed Randle in one of his worst performances in a Knick jersey. Randle only scored two points with three turnovers, his lowest scoring output since 2019.
Things got even more heated between the player and the fans when in the fourth quarter the fans at MSG booed Randle off the court and it was yet another slow performance by the Power Forward/ Center. Randle was fined by the NBA $25,000 for his hand gesture to the fans and issued a statement regretting the incident against the Celtics. The Knicks defeated the Spurs 111-96 and are at 20-21 for the season and in 11th place in the NBA East.
What was said after the game regarding Julius Randle being booed by New York Knicks fans
Julius Randle (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
RJ Barrett defended his teammate stating, “It’s not like he was out there doing nothing… He was grabbing every rebound. He was getting us going on the break. He was doing a lot for us out there. He was finding us. He really got me going at the beginning of the game, too. He’s doing a lot.” Randle had 12 rebounds against the Spurs.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau seconded Barrett’s statements, “It’s a long season. We love our fans. Our fans are fantastic… There’s no better place to play in the NBA. I think everyone would tell you that. There’s an appreciation for them. But along with it, there’s gonna praise; there’s gonna be criticism, and don’t get wrapped up in either. The important thing is to lock into the team, your job, the next day, winning, your opponent, get ready to go so you can play well. And look, we play well, we know how much our fans love this team, and we love them.”
