New York Knicks forward Julius Randle recently issued an apology for giving fans at Madison Square Garden a thumbs-down gesture after making a layup midway through the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ win over the Boston Celtics back on January 6th, a game that frustrated Randle as fans would boo him one moment and chant “M-V-P” the next.
“Really don’t give a f*** what anybody has to say, to be honest” Randle would say following the game, according to the New York Post. “I’m out there playing. Nobody knows the game out there better than I do, compared to what everybody has to say. So I really don’t give a f***. I just go out there and play.”
Randle would explain that his thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans was “an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you love” during the apology.
“Just want to send a quick message to our fans and be clear — I love NYC and being a part of this team and this franchise,” Randle wrote. “And like most Knicks fans, I am really passionate about us being successful. My family and I love how the fans and New Yorkers have embraced and accepted us and have made us feel great about our decision to commit long-term with the team this past summer. This support means the world to us. I understand that my actions also represent the league, this organization, and the city, and that I should have handled things last night differently and expressed myself with more professionalism and more appropriate language in the heat of the moment.
“My comment was an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you love, even if it came from a place of passion and deep love. Nobody wants to win more than me and I will continue to show loyalty and dedication to my teammates, the entire Knicks organization, and the fans who have shown me and my family so much love. I am going to keep focusing on the future.”
Knicks fans continued to troll Randle on Monday night, chanting for his backup Obi Toppin and booed whenever anything negative occurred on the floor.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said, following the game, that Randle will push through it.
“Look, he’s a pro” he said of Randle (via ESPN). “He’ll navigate through it. The important thing is to lock into the team, your job, the next day, winning, your opponent. Get ready to go so you can play well. And look, when we play well, we know how much our fans love this team and we love them.”
