Knicks' Julius Randle on MVP chants from MSG crowd vs. Suns

Julius Randle speaks out on the MVP chants from the Knicks fans on Monday vs. the Suns as well as his All-Star bid this season.

The New York Knicks took care of business on Monday as they made easy work of the Phoenix Suns in what turned out to be a lopsided blowout win, 102-83. Julius Randle led the charge for the Knicks and his strong play earned the ultimate show of respect from the adoring home crowd in Madison Square Garden.

At one point in the game, Randle was showered with MVP chants from the fans as the 28-year-old came out with another big performance for his team:

Well deserved MVP chants at MSG for Julius Randle 🗣👑 pic.twitter.com/dwFvyuHREP

— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) January 2, 2023

Randle took notice of the high praise from his home fans, and he had nothing but love for them after the game. When asked to share his reaction to the MVP chants from the crowd, Randle admitted that it feels great to hear the outpouring of love from the fans:

“It's good to be on the good side of The Garden,” Randle said.

Julius Randle has been on an absolute tear of late, averaging 33.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in his last five games. Despite the clamor from Knicks fans, however, the reality is that it's very unlikely that Randle ends up with the MVP trophy at the end of the year. A more achievable objective for him is to be named an All-Star this season for only the second time in his career.

“Obviously, you work hard to put yourself in a position to do that,” Randle said of potentially becoming an All-Star this year. “So it would be amazing. I love it. Not necessarily for me, obviously it is great, but I love it to be able to experience it with my family … because they’re the ones that really make the true sacrifice and have led me to dedicate myself to the game the way I’ve been able to do in the summers and night in and night out. … So I love to be able to let them enjoy it and see the rewards of it and stuff like that. So that’s why it’s important.”

Randle clearly has his sights set on his second All-Star nod this season, and his recent play makes it difficult to ignore his claim for a spot on the All-Star squad.