Julius Randle Getting the Shaq Treatment From Refs and Shaq's Only Advice is to Play Through It
Julius Randle's three-point shooting and scoring have taken a step back this season as the Knicks have struggled out of the gate. On Tuesday night the Knicks lost a close road game to the Brooklyn Nets. After the game Randle was visibly frustrated and then told the press that one referee had told him he's not getting certain calls because he's so big and strong.
Julius Randle said he got this explanation from a referee tonight for missed calls on fouls and it "pisses [him] off even more"
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 1, 2021
"They said because certain contact doesn't affect me, like it affects other players because I'm stronger, they miss the calls" pic.twitter.com/uwgqHP0pBQ
Of course, the person who dealt with this problem most famously was Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq was even bigger and stronger than Randle - and just about everyone else who has ever played - so officials didn't really know what to do. Luckily, the Knicks played on TNT last night so Shaq was on TV to give him some advice.
"Play through it, big man."@SHAQ has a message for Julius Randle following the Knicks' loss to the Nets. #InsideTheNBA pic.twitter.com/QVhQhWiq5a
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 1, 2021
Basically, deal with it. And by deal with it Shaq means stop complaining and get more physical. This is probably the only real course of action. It's probably what LeBron had to learn to do, but we know he still complains so really, there is no right answer. Refs can't call everything. Players get frustrated. Players complain. Other people tell them to just play. The circle of life keeps rolling.