Kobe Bryant ‘Superfan’ Julius Randle Doubted Whether the Mamba Was Human While Playing Together in LA

NBA players often stand out in a crowd due to their size, and many of them are famous around the world for their exploits on the court. Fans often think of NBA players in an almost mythical way, and many go to great lengths just to get an autograph or even a high-five as they head to the locker room.

It might surprise some fans to know that even players themselves sometimes get that awestruck feeling, and not only if they’re a career G Leaguer who’s been called up for a game. Even multi-time All-Stars can act like an excited kid when they meet their heroes.

Julius Randle has been a very good NBA player for a long time. He’s been in the league since 2014, and he has three All-Star appearances and two All-NBA teams under his belt. Randle appeared on this week’s episode of The Young Man and the Three, and he admitted that he couldn’t believe he got to share the court with Kobe Bryant early in his career.

Randle grew up a Lakers fan, and a fan of Kobe specifically, and then he was drafted by L.A. with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft. “Sharing the court with him every single day, it didn’t feel real,” he said. “It was surreal, like is this person real, is he human? Every time he said anything, did anything, you’re watching his every single move.”

They say to never meet your heroes, but although Randle, like most Lakers in those days, ended up being chewed out by Kobe on occasion, he knows that the experience only made him a better player. “It was painful,” Randle said. “He many a times cussed me out, and it stuck with me. It would go home, it would ruin my day. It was like me coming home from school and my mom getting on me or something like that.”

“You got this guy who’s your idol, and you don’t want to do anything to disappoint him,” he continued. “But that type of tough love is what I needed early in my career, and it helped me to be where I am now,” he confessed.

Randle was one of the privileged few who got to see Kobe’s legendary work ethic up close, and it’s stuck with him after all this time. “I always thought I worked hard,” he said, “until I was around somebody who worked harder.” That included waking up at 4 a.m. to work out and obsessing over every detail.

Kobe has more than earned his reputation as one of the hardest workers and sharpest minds to ever play the game. It’s why he’s held in such high regard by today’s players, long after his retirement. Most NBA players are famous, but Kobe was on another level.