"Ya'll motherf***ers better be glad I'm here" - When Kobe Bryant schooled Julius Randle and LA Lakers when they tried to troll him

Kobe Bryant was once teammates with a bunch of young players like Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson. It was during the twilight of Bryant's career with the LA Lakers in the 2015-16 NBA season.

On Podcast P with Paul George, Randle shared a story wherein they tried to sarcastically troll Bryant after arriving at the team plane an hour late. However, the Lakers legend was not having any of it and proceeded to berate the entire team.

"I remember one time we were waiting on the plane," Randle said. "It was like an hour and the plane ain't leaving without Kobe.

"He get there, and everybody happy he getting on the plane. But we were being sarcastic like, 'Kobe, welcome' and he was like, 'Man, ya'll motherf***ers better be glad I'm here.' He sat donw and didn't say nothing the whole flight."

In Kobe Bryant's final season, he played with a bunch of young players like Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. Bryant served as a mentor to these future stars but was never gonna let up despite his aging body and knees.

Randle was let go by the LA Lakers in the summer of 2018 when they signed LeBron James in free agency. After a brief stop in New Orleans, Randle found a home with the New York Knicks. He became a two-time All-Star with the Knicks in 2021 and 2023.

Russell also became an All-Star in 2019 as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. However, he bounced around the league and returned to the Lakers via trade this season. He will enter free agency this summer and could be on his way to another team again.

As for Clarkson, he won the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year for the Utah Jazz. He remains of the best players off the bench in the league, while Nance has carved out a nice role player for several teams. He currently plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.

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Will Knicks trade Julius Randle this summer?

Julius Randle of the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks might move on from Julius Randle despite helping the team make the playoffs twice in his four seasons there. Randle had an up-and-down postseason, and some Knicks fans were even calling for him to get traded this offseason.

Sam Quinn of CBS Sports reported that the Knicks could look to trade Randle for a more reliable and solid All-Star:

"The Knicks want to land a star, and the matching salary they send out will likely depend on what kind of player they get back. If they acquire a top big man? Randle almost has to be in the trade, as he makes little sense alongside a better power forward or center," Quinn wrote.