New York Knicks forward Julius Randle was selected as an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career on Tuesday. The Knicks have a lot of fans but no one was more proud or Randle than his mother.
Randle is currently enjoying what has become far-and-away the best season of his professional career thus far. He is averaging 23.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 big man has added 1.8 three-pointers per game while shooting 41.0 percent from beyond the arc on the season.
Each of those measurements mentioned above are the best marks he has ever recorded since turning pro back after his one-and-done season at Kentucky.
Of course, the 26-year-old has come a long way since he was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Randle has had a long road to get here, starting with a broken right tibia he suffered during his professional debut.
On Tuesday night, the Knicks surprised Randle during their game against the Warriors with this awesome message from his mom:
His mother, Carolyn Kyles, has been with him every step of the way. That is why it was especially heartwarming to see Randle’s mom on the big screen at Madison Square Garden.
Kyles was a college basketball player at the University of Texas-Arlington. Back in 2014, she spoke about raising Randle and teaching him the ropes on and off the court (via Courier-Journal):
“I would push him around. He’d fall down and hop up all mad. I’d throw hook shots on him, and it would just kill him,” said Kyles, who showed no mercy. “I couldn’t feel guilty, because this was the position I was in. I had to be both mother and father. I couldn’t be weak. I had to be strong. I couldn’t baby him. I had to make sure my kids were strong, show them how to get out there and fight for what they wanted. That’s what they saw in me every day.”
Earlier this month, Randle told the New York Times that his “approach” for the game comes from his mother.
He has worn No. 30 throughout his career because that is what his mother wore when she played. Over the years, Kyles has said that she would only let him wear her number if he did something with it. He made that promise and he kept it.
You can see exactly how much Randle appreciated her based on the way that the smile grows on his face as he watches her congratulate him. Her tribute to Randle was a beautiful moment that he is sure to remember for a very long time.
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