Julius Randle told New York Knicks fans to “shut the f*** up,” and now he’ll pay the price. The NBA fined Randle $25,000 for using “profane language during media interviews,” the league announced Saturday.
The league called out two instances in which Randle used profane language in an “egregious” manner. The first occurred after practice on Jan. 5. The second came after Randle gave a thumbs down gesture during the team’s Jan. 6 win over the Boston Celtics.
Randle grew frustrated with Knicks fans after they booed the team during its win over the Celtics. The Knicks fell behind in the first half, at one point trailing by 25 points. That led to Knicks fans booing the team.
New York surged back in the second half, eventually winning the game on a last-second 3 by RJ Barrett. During the comeback, Randle made a thumbs down gesture. After the game, he said that gesture was his way of telling Knicks fans to “shut the f*** up” for booing the team.
Randle walked back those comments Friday. In a statement, Randle said he should have handled the situation better. He said he regretted telling fans to “shut the f*** up.”
Randle still has to pay a fine, but his statement may have saved him a few bucks.