The New York Knicks traded three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves just days after the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School named its gymnasium “the Julius Randle All-Star Court” in his honor for helping to raise $1.3 million for the school.
“None of this works without you guys putting in the work. You guys have to show up to class. You guys have to absorb the knowledge. You have to listen,” Randle said to the high school’s senior class, which will become its first graduating class. ”It doesn’t matter about the opportunity. The opportunities come and go, but you guys have taken advantage of that and put the work in every day so I want to say thank you guys. I’m extremely proud of you guys and I’m just excited to see where this continues to go.”
The event drew stars from the basketball world to south Bronx to the school’s groundbreaking ceremony, including Randle, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, NBA Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion with the Knicks and member of both the NBA’s Top 50 and 75 teams Walt Clyde Frazier, and the man the school was named after, who won a championship with Frazier and the Knicks in 1973, fellow NBA Hall of Famer and member of both the NBA’s Top 50 and 75 teams Earl Monroe.
Yesterday, a trade that was reported last week was finalized, as the Knicks sent Randle, shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, small forward Keita Bates-Diop and a future first-round pick to Minnesota. Former Knicks guard Charlie Brown, shooting guard DaQuan Jeffries, point guard Duane Washington Jr. and two future second-round picks went to Charlotte. The Knicks received center Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the draft rights to center James Nnaji from the Charlotte Hornets.
