"When I got traded to Phoenix, I thought I went to Disneyworld": Charles Barkley places the Julius Randle incident with Knicks fans in its proper context

New York Knicks’ Julius Randle made headlines by his thumps down gesture towards the Knicks fans during a game. Reacting to this incident, the INSIDE THE NBA crew shared their experience of the tough crowds.

The New York media was all over Julius Randle for the thumps down gesture towards the fans. It was in response to the Knicks fans booing their team when they are on verge of losing.

Madison Square Garden fans are a tough crowd. Even the visiting teams know that if they get an early lead, the MSG crowd will demoralize their home team. Sometime back, ex-NBA player Gilbert Arenas said, “New York fans are the Knicks biggest rival.”

While reacting to this incident, The INSIDE THE NBA Crew shared their own horrible experience of tough crowds. Remembering his playing years in Philadelphia 76ers, Charles Barkley said, “When I got traded to Phoenix, I thought I went to Disneyworld.”

Also Read – “I understand my actions also represent the city, organization, and team, and that last night I should have handled things differently”: Julius Randle issues a statement, reflecting on his thumbs-down gesture

The Tough Crowds of the NBA could be getting to Julius Randle

The Knicks fans are known to be one of the most loyal fanbases in the league. But the Randle incident is just a recent reminder of the fan’s negativity. It can be seen in a video that went viral, where they recorded those fans’ reactions after the season-opening game.

If we go a little back in time, the Knicks fans booed Kristaps Porzingis for being drafted by the Knicks in 2015. Kristaps had to play like an All-Star to win them back. And obviously, he was booed when he returned to the Garden after being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

Another such fanbase can be seen in Philadelphia. the Sixers fans booed their All-Star Ben Simmons for his bad performance in the playoffs. It became so bad that he didn’t even show up to play for the team this season. His trade request is yet to be fulfilled.

It’s a curse the players have to bear if they are playing for such loyal fans. Playing for such crowds is not a joke. As of now, Julius is fined $25,000 for using profanity in the postgame interview and has issued an apology letter to the fans.