Texas Native Julius Randle Reveals Why He Didn't Play For Longhorns

Julius Randle left home to spend one season at Kentucky before going pro.

On Paul George's Podcast P, the New York Knicks star said the decision to play for John Calipari's Wildcats was "easy." Despite his local ties to the Longhorns, the Texas native passed on joining the struggling program in 2013.

"I wanted to go to Texas," Randle said. "Like, I grew up a Texas fan. So I grew up watching [Kevin Durant] and those dudes at Texas. But the reason why I couldn't was because they sucked, bro. I'm not going to lie.

"It was terrible at the time. They're good now. But, at the time, it was awful."

Texas missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998 when going 16-18 in 2012-13. Randle said he wanted to be a one-and-done player, so he sought a title contender for his lone year at college.

While Texas improved to 24-11 the following year, Randle still seemed to make a good choice. The forward averaged 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and led Kentucky to the National Championship Game in Dallas. 

The Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and Randle completed his second All-Star campaign with the Knicks. He doesn't seem to regret his choice.

"It was a no-brainer for me," Randle said of Kentucky. "I liked Duke I liked Kansas and those other schools. But, like, it was a no-brainer.”