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Dec 19, 2024 | 8:29 AM CST
via Imago
Image Source: Imagn
via Imago
Image Source: Imagn
“I couldn’t feel guilty, because this was the position I was in. I had to be both mother and father,” said Carolyn Kyles, Julius Randle’s mother, during an interview back in 2014. With his father nowhere in sight, it was up to Kyles to raise her son. Raise him to not only become a responsible human being but also an athlete. Given the fame she found as a college basketball player, the ball game was what she introduced to him from an early age. Today, due to the ‘tough’ lessons he received from his mother, Julius Randle stands proud as an NBA player with over a decade-long league experience, 3x NBA All-Star honors, along with a Second-Team and a Third-Team honor!
Over the years, Randle has mentioned his talented mother from time to time. Other than that, however, he has also divulged only specific information about his family, not going too deep into his ancestry or roots. Therefore, it is now up to us to find out the truth about the 30-year-old.
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Being born and brought up in Dallas, Texas, Julius Randle holds an American Nationality. There are no reported sources that provide an indication of his ethnicity. However, Wikipedia has listed Randle on its list of ‘African-American basketball players.’
According to reports, Randle was born in 1994 to Matthew Randle and Carolyn Kyles. The couple also had a daughter together named Courtney. However, that is all that the world knows about Matthew Randle since he wasn’t present to raise his children. Therefore, the full responsibility fell upon Carolyn. While she did her best to provide for her two children, she took an extra responsibility to train them in basketball.
Carolyn Kyles had pursued basketball from an early stage. The efforts she put in during her high school tenure allowed her to take her talents to the University of Texas. She played 27 games over the course of the 1984-85 season. During the same, she averaged 6.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. She recorded a total of 77-194 field goals and 22-44 free throws. While she couldn’t take her talents any further, Kyles may have wanted her son to adopt a destiny by taking up the ball game. Being a former basketball player, she ensured that the then-young Julius Randle would train under a strict regime.
“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,” Carolyn recalled. “I couldn’t feel guilty, because this was the position I was in.”
Growing up, Julius Randle remembered his mother as the last person who bullied him on a basketball court. According to reports, the future NBA player was still a toddler when she first put a ball in his hand, and he slept with it every night. Later, attempts would be made for that same ball to be taken away, both by his mother and his sister.
Did Julius Randle's mother's tough love shape him into the NBA star he is today?
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“I’d be so mad, I’d want to fight my sister,” said Randle when remembering the games where he was double-teamed. “They were just bigger and stronger than us, but it definitely put a competitive spirit in us.”
Julius Randle’s mom Carolyn Kyles on IG: “New start new hair cut and beard! Proud of you Ju Let’s go Wolves 🐺! pic.twitter.com/4Mz2hNXqML
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 29, 2024
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The impact that his mother had on his life is something that Randle does not choose to forget easily. If he wears the No. 30 on his jersey, it is because it is the number that his mother wore during her college tenure.
The lessons he learned have allowed Julius Randle to excel in the NBA. Unfortunately, he has yet to make a prominent part on the international stage by representing his country. The only way Randle got close to being a Team USA player was when he joined the 2016 US Select Team. The squad practiced against the United States men’s national team, comprising Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, etc, as they looked to ready themselves for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Back in 2021, the Team USA squad was in need of two replacement players, who would participate in the Tokyo Olympics. According to the New York Post, Julius Randle wasn’t even made an offer!
Despite the snub on the international level, Julius Randle remains a prominent name in the NBA world. If there are two people who he may believe have helped him get to this point, they may be his mother and God.
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As highlighted by the Baptist Press, Julius Randle gives the impression of being a Christian. In fact, Jack Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church back in 2014, was impressed enough by the young player that he could state, “Julius is a great young man who is solid in his faith. He and his mother, Carolyn, have an incredible bond, and it is wonderful to see how he is devoted to her.”
According to reports, during his days at the University of Kentucky, the power forward visited the team chapel before every home game. As Randle explained, “That’s just something that’s important to me that I spend time hearing God’s Word before I go out and play.” Prior to that, Randle participated in a video interview at the age of 15. During the same, he referred to God as “my everything.” On top of that, Randle appreciated that his PCA coach also took his religious beliefs into consideration, stating, “He keeps us into the Bible and into the word constantly.”
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via Imago
Dec 8, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward-center Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (43) in the second period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Faith, and a mother’s love, gave Julius Randle an advantage in his journey of growing up and making a name for himself. As the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to progress through the ongoing regular season, it remains to be seen whether Julius Randle’s life story will finally also have a championship title written somewhere, within the near future.
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Did Julius Randle's mother's tough love shape him into the NBA star he is today?
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