Kendra Randle, the wife of former New York Knicks forward Julius Randle, ignited a flurry of speculation on social media Tuesday with a video of herself toasting with a glass of wine, which coincided with the announcement of coach Tom Thibodeau’s firing.
In the clip shared on her social media, Kendra appears to be enjoying a vacation abroad, raising her glass in celebration. The timing of the video left fans buzzing online. “I can’t tell if this is just a coincidence lmao,” commented one user on X. The Knicks Muse account expressed disbelief, posting, “This is crazy,” accompanied by a crying-face emoji. Another fan page, Everything Knicks, responded with a pair of eyeball emojis, indicating interest and surprise.
This wine-toasting video was just one of several clips Kendra shared on her Instagram Stories that day, documenting the family’s postseason holiday. Julius Randle, now 30, had a significant five-year stint with the Knicks, starting in 2019, and achieved three All-Star selections during his tenure.
Recently, Randle and teammate Donte DiVincenzo were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a surprising midseason trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Following the Knicks’ decision to part ways with Thibodeau, Kendra expressed gratitude for their time in New York in an Instagram post. “NEW YORK! Thank you for an amazing 5 years,” she wrote on October 1. “You embraced our family and made living in New York so much easier and so much fun… To my husband, you came in and changed the culture and brought winning back to NYC. Forever my inspiration and I’m so proud of you. With that being said, LET’S GO WOLVES.”
Julius Randle enjoyed a successful season with the Timberwolves, who finished the year with a 49-33 record and made it to the Western Conference Finals, only to be eliminated in five games by the Thunder, who are now set to compete against the Pacers in the NBA Finals. Randle’s postseason performance saw him average 21.7 points per game, a notable improvement over his averages during his two playoff runs with the Knicks.
The Knicks’ announcements regarding Thibodeau’s dismissal emerged just three days after the team was eliminated by the Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Knicks president Leon Rose commented on the situation, stating, “Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction.” Thibodeau had served as head coach for five seasons, with this year marking the Knicks’ first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.