Julius Randle is one of the best power forwards in the NBA today. The fact that the New York Knicks star was voted as an All-Star this past season is a clear and undeniable testament to this fact.

As it turns out, Randle knew that he was bound for greatness early on. As a young kid, the former Kentucky standout already realized that he was much better than his peers. At that point in time, he was actually surprised at how dominant he was among his age group:

“I knew [I was NBA bound] young,” Randle said on a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. “… Until I was 10 or 11 [years old], I was always playing older kids… Then I played my age for the first time and I'm stronger, I'm faster… I'm like bro, what the hell is this?”

Julius Randle is no small dude and his elite physique today stands out even among his co-NBA players. This must have been the case for the Knicks star as a pre-teen boy as well, and clearly, his skill level was way above that of kids his own age.

Despite his innate advantage, however, Randle did not rest on his laurels. He just kept putting the work in until he was able to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. After all, Randle knew that regardless of how physically gifted and naturally talented he was, he still had to work extremely hard to get to where he is today with the Knicks.