Knicks’ Julius Randle on Skechers deal: ‘It was bigger than basketball’
NEW YORK — Julius Randle said he left Nike because Skechers provided an opportunity he couldn’t find anywhere else: an opportunity to be a partner.
In fact, more than a partner — Randle is becoming a trailblazer in the sneaker space as the face of Skechers' first true NBA push.
Speaking of his new sneaker deal for the first time publicly, Randle expressed gratitude for the chance to have real-life input on operations for the fourth-largest shoe company in the world. Randle said his wife, Kendra — who is big into fashion — is going to design any clothes he wears from Skechers this season.
“For me, it was bigger than basketball,” he said on Friday. “The opportunity to not only kinda trailblaze a new shoe that’s coming into the basketball game but opportunity to build with Skechers, do things outside the box that I might not get a chance to do at Nike or a Jordan, who’s big. Being able to bring people, loved ones, family, my wife around me and have them involved and then able for them to do things is super important. So any time you do something different, there’s obviously gonna be a lot of talk, but the opportunity is there. It’s a tremendous opportunity.
“And I wouldn’t get that chance at [another sneaker company].”
Roster standout
Randle shouted out Duane Washington Jr. as a training camp and practice standout among the six young players fighting for end of the roster spots on the Knicks’ rotation.
“Duane, his leadership is huge. He comes in and works his butt off every day. Talks, he’s vocal, he’s coachable. Knows how to run a team,” Randle said.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said the battle is not giving decision-makers an easy way out.
“They’re great guys, they’re great workers. It’s really close. It’s going to be a tough decision,” he said. “But that’s what you want. I think Leon and his staff identified a really good group of guys to come in and they’ve added a lot to our practices and they prepared themselves well. And you can make a case for all of them.”
Quickley moving on
Immanuel Quickley is not worried about starting or winning the Sixth Man of the Year award.
“I mean, I do whatever the team asks of me to do, start, come off the bench. Obviously everybody, I’m sure in any profession you want to continue to move up your rank,” Quickley said on Friday. “Whatever the team needs me to do, start, come off the bench, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. You try not to worry about things like that, sixth man. You try not to worry about that kind of stuff. It’s all coming in and trying t”o get better, control the things that you can control. That’s pretty much how I handle that kind of stuff.”
A helping hand
Randle said guard Jalen Brunson’s arrival via free agency with the Knicks last season helped the team win games in crunch-time scenarios.
“It’s extremely important. You can look down the line and trust a guy to make the right play as you would. That’s big,” he said. “You go on every night knowing it’s not all on you. You don’t have to do it yourself. That’s the best thing about a team sport. It’s not just J. It’s everybody. It’s Isaiah (Hartenstein). It’s RJ (Barrett). It’s Quentin (Grimes). We’ve got options. I know what I can expect from them every night. Whatever my strengths are, I try cover for them, and what ever their strengths are, they try to cover up for my weaknesses. That’s the best thing about it.”
