Julius Randle’s journey proves that parents, even in difficult circumstances, can inspire greatness through resilience and love.
Born November 29, 1994, Julius Deion Randle has established himself as one of the NBA’s premier power forwards.
Currently playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Randle has built an impressive career marked by three NBA All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team honors.
Randle’s journey to NBA stardom began at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, where he dominated as a top-five player in his class.
Despite suffering a foot fracture during his senior year, he returned for the playoffs and led his team to a state championship.
His basketball prowess earned him a scholarship to the University of Kentucky, where his exceptional play as a freshman included 24 double-doubles, the most ever by a Kentucky freshman.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Randle with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, though his rookie season was cut short by a broken tibia in his very first game.
After recovery, he spent four formative years with the Lakers before a one-year stint with the New Orleans Pelicans.
In 2019, Randle joined the New York Knicks, where he truly blossomed into an All-Star caliber player.
During his time with the Knicks, Randle set numerous personal records, including a career-high 57-point performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023.
His powerful playing style, combining strength and finesse, helped revitalize the struggling franchise.
After being named to his third All-Star team in 2024, Randle was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in October 2024, where he continues to showcase his skills.
Julius Randle Honors His Parents’ Sacrifices Through His Hard Work On The Court
Julius Randle’s basketball DNA can be traced to his mother, Carolyn Kyles, who played college basketball at the University of Texas-Arlington.
Standing at 6-foot-2, Kyles was actually taller than her son until he reached high school.
As a single mother raising Julius and his older sister Nastassia in Dallas, Kyles played an instrumental role in developing her son’s competitive spirit and toughness on the court.
Kyles explains,
“I couldn’t take it easy on him. I had to teach him how to stay strong on the court.”
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She regularly challenged the young Julius in one-on-one games, often teaming up with his sister Nastassia to defeat him in backyard matchups.
These early basketball battles instilled a fierce competitive drive in Randle that would define his career. Kyles recalls with a smile,
“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.”
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She showed no mercy, understanding that her role required exceptional strength.
“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.”
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Kyles passed down more than just basketball skills to her son. Julius wears jersey number 30 as an homage to her college number.
When he first asked to wear it, she issued a challenge:
“If you’re going to get out there and do something with it, yes. But if not, you leave my number alone.”
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Randle has certainly lived up to that challenge, bringing honor to the number throughout his career.
While Randle’s father, Matthew Randle, wasn’t actively present during his upbringing, Julius found a crucial male mentor in Jeff Webster, a former Oklahoma basketball star who became his AAU coach when Randle was in fifth grade.
Webster stepped into a vital role as a friend, mentor, and father figure, helping guide Julius through his formative years.
The relationship between Webster and Randle began at a pivotal moment. After losing a youth championship game, a devastated young Julius was consoled by Webster, who told him,
“If you don’t like to lose, Julius, find a way not to. This calmness came over him. It was a perfect fit from that moment,” Kyles remembers. Being a single woman raising a young man, I saw it as God bringing Jeff to us at the right time. Julius was about to become a teenager. He totally respected me, but he needed a male figure he could look up to and trust.”
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Kyles’ commitment to raising a successful son transcended basketball. She told Julius about statistics suggesting boys raised by single mothers face additional challenges, declaring,
“We were going to break statistics.”
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Her dedication to working overtime to provide for her children—including buying the Kobe Bryant sneakers Julius coveted—instilled in him the tireless work ethic that defines his play today.
“How I approach the game, and how I play hard and try to leave everything out there on the court, I get from her,” Randle says of his mother.
Today, Kyles watches proudly as her son continues to dominate on NBA courts.
When people talk about the “alpha beast” who powers through double and triple teams, she smiles, remembering the determined boy who once faced her hook shots and rose to every challenge she set before him.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Julius Randle slept with a basketball as a toddler after his mother first put a ball in his hands.
- He was awarded a special exemption to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game despite not meeting the minimum number of games requirement due to his foot injury in his senior year.
- In March 2023, Randle hit a game-winning three-pointer in a 122-120 victory over the Miami Heat, capping off a 43-point performance.
