CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Julius Randle “worshipped the ground (Kobe Bryant) walked on,” from his childhood idolization to their forging of a relationship during and after they were teammates with ...

Knicks All-Star Julius Randle says his former teammate, the late Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, and the Mamba Mentality, influenced his decision to come to New York.

As Julius Randle tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Bryant was actually the biggest help to Randle during the then-rookie’s recovery from injury. “I’m frustrated,” Randle texted.

Randle, who has specific experience playing alongside one of those all-time greats in Kobe Bryant, made the same comparison when talking about his co-star, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN: ...

But as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports, Bryant has embraced this role, sharing his wisdom with the likes of Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell and Tarik Black.

Julius Randle, the Lakers’ lottery pick in 2014 now with the Knicks, said he got the most from Kobe Bryant when Randle was a struggling rookie.

For Randle, he had arguably the best player out of everyone on the Timberwolves roster with Kobe. As expected, Randle has always cherished those two years playing in Los Angeles with Bryant.

Julius Randle and Kobe Bryant didn't overlap too much as NBA players. Randle was drafted in 2014, and by that point, Bryant had only had 101 games left in his illustrious career.

Kobe Bryant was known as someone who demanded the most from his teammates and didn't hesitate to call them out when he felt he wasn't receiving it, and Julius Randle provided a behind-the-scenes ...

Lakers' Julius Randle: Kobe Bryant helped end 'pity party' after injury Los Angeles rookie forward Julius Randle is dealing with a tough time. By James Herbert Nov 5, 2014 at 3:55 pm ET • 1 min read ...

Julius Randle leaned on Kobe Bryant, Paul George during injury rehab Lakers forward Julius Randle puts up a shot during an exhibition game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 21.