Julius Randle addressed his thumbs-down gesture and vulgar message toward Knicks fans.
“I understand that my actions also represent the league, this organization, and the city, and that I should have handled things last night differently and expressed myself with more professionalism and more appropriate language in the heat of the moment,” Randle said in a statement posted on his Instagram. “My comment was an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you love, even if it came from a place of passion and deep love.”
During the Knicks’ 108-105 win over the Celtics, Randle was captured giving a thumbs-down gesture towards fans — similar to the gesture Francisco Lindor, Kevin Pillar and Javier Baez infamously flashed toward Mets fans this past summer.
Randle said the purpose of the gesture was “to shut the f–k up.’’
When asked if it was in response to something, Randle added, “You saw that. You saw what was going on with that. Forget. Forget.’’
Randle helped spark the Knicks’ comeback, pouring in 22 points and eight rebounds.
“Nobody wants to win more than me and I will continue to show my loyalty and dedication to my teammates, the entire Knicks organization, and the fans who have shown me and my family so much love,” Randle’s statement stated. “I am going to keep focusing on the future.”