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Julius Randle Says His Thumbs Down to Knicks Fans Meant 'Shut the F--k Up'
January 7, 2022
It seems like the New York Knicks are taking a page out of the Mets' notebook.
After the Knicks' epic 108-105 comeback victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday, power forward Julius Randle was asked about a "thumbs down" gesture he made seemingly toward the home crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Randle explained that he was indicating "shut the f--k up," though he didn't specify what led him to making the gesture:
Fred Katz @FredKatzFull exchange:<a href="https://twitter.com/SBondyNYDN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SBondyNYDN</a>: “Cameras caught you giving thumbs down to the crowd. What was that about?”<br><br>Randle: “Shut the fuck up”<br><br>“To whom?”<br><br>“What you talking about? To who? He just said to who”<br><br>It in response to something?<br><br>“You saw that. You saw what was going on w/ that"
The Knicks had been trailing by 25 points earlier in the game, which understandably elicited boos from the home crowd. The fans' dissatisfaction with a subpar first-half performance apparently didn't sit right with Randle all the way until the fourth quarter, when the gesture was made.
Former Mets shortstop Javy Baez famously gave a "thumbs down" gesture to fans at Citi Field and then told reporters it was his way of booing them back for voicing their displeasure with the team's struggles.
Despite the apparent contentious relationship between players and fans, the Knicks and their home crowd had much to celebrate after Thursday night's comeback victory.
