Julius Randle was recently at the Show roommates, hosted by Knicks players Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. While on the show, the Knicks forward talked about all things Knicks and also delved into NBA basketball and life in general. The show would begin in high spirits, as the Knicks trio recounted moments from their high school and college days.
Many fans don’t know that Randle was ranked as the top prospect in his class, before Andrew Wiggins reclassified the rankings during his final high school season.
It was Julius Randle and Jabari Parker who were fighting for the top spot in the country, and the two were neck and neck at the time. Recalling the ranking situation in his senior year, Randle told his co-hosts:
“It was him and me [Jabari Parker] Fighting back and forth, and then along came Andrew Wiggins, brother. When he reclassified, he had it… Aaron Gordon was four years old. [in the rankings]…Jabari and I were like two and three. I think Jabari would have been two years old… I remember in his second year, he took off.”
Josh Hart would be quick to remind his two teammates of the LeBron camp battles that also occurred. Speaking about the confrontation between Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins, Hart said:
“The first time at LeBron Camp was crazy… at one point I remember it was him[ Jabari Parker] versus Wiggins… everyone was tuning in, everyone was sitting there like, ‘We gotta watch this, bro.'”
Randle would finish seventh in the 2014 draft, behind Wiggins and Parker. But unlike them, Randle would be drafted in the perfect situation, as an aging Kobe would end up profoundly impacting the growth of a young Randle.
Randle was all praise for Jabari Parker
Randle and Parker go back a long way, as the duo even wrestled each other on the AAU circuit as high school students. While on the Roommates Podcast, Randle expressed a deep sense of respect for his old high school rival. Speaking of Parker, Julius told his two Knicks teammates:
“I remember his sophomore year, his sophomore year, he took off. He may have hurt his knee or something, ACL in high school or something…he came back and was just skinny and incredibly athletic…he already had skill, he was like Paul Pierce.”
Jabari Parker was a high school legend, and his senior mixtape was among the most iconic mixtapes of all time. Unbeknownst to most, Parker was a late bloomer, as he did not catch the attention of scouts until his sophomore year in high school. But once the athleticism kicked in, Parker would be a force to be reckoned with on the court. He would be selected as the 2nd general election in 2014 Milwaukee Bucks draft. Parker never lived up to his potential as injuries derailed his career early on.
