"He saved her life": Julius Randle's wife, Kendra Randle reveals how Coach Calipari saved her grandmother
As coach John Calipari leaves Kentucky after a long 15-year tenure, tributes have flocked the internet and he got one from Julius Randle's wife, Kendra.
According to her, Randle reached out to his former college coach hoping to get medical help for his then-girlfriend's grandmother. The three-time Naismith College Coach of the Year moved swiftly to give them the help that they urgently needed.
"4 years ago my grandmother was very sick in a small hospital in eastern KY. Julius called Coach Cal and asked if there was anyone he knew that could get her transferred to UK hospital. 15 mins later she was in a helicopter to UK and I still to this day believe he saved her life," Kendra posted on X.
This scenario showed that a player and coach's relationship can go well beyond the sport they participate in.
Julius Randle and coach John Calipari's time in Kentucky
The only season John Calipari and Julius Randle had together as part of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball program was way back in the 2013-14 season. In 40 games during the regular season, they finished with a record of 29-11. However, that stacked team finished one win short of claiming the NCAA national championship.
Aside from Julius Randle, he was surrounded by a deep roster that produced seven more NBA players including James Young, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Alex Pythress and Willie Cauley-Stein.
Randle was the clear-cut best player of the team and had a one-and-done season before heading to the 2014 NBA Draft. He averaged 15.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He also hit a good 50% from the field and 70% of his free throws. This was one of the best runs that John Calipari had with Kentucky, as he also served as a father figure to his players.
The development of Julius Randle and his performance in his lone year with Kentucky made him the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft. To date, the six-foot-eight forward has three NBA All-Star selections and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2021.
After Randle, Calipari also got to coach Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Jamal Murray, Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, Wenyen Gabriel, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PJ Washington, Jarred Vanderbilt, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey, among others.