Kobe Bryant, the team's face of the franchise, has been a part of the organization for 18 seasons. Julius Randle, the team's selection with the seventh pick in the 2014 draft, is just 19 years old.
None of this, of course, is to say that Randle is the second coming of the Mamba; however, the fact that he's only one year older than Bryant's entire professional career symbolizes a changing of the guard.
Lakers fans are finally starting to see what life after Kobe could potentially look like, and while that transition won't be made with the drafting of one player, Randle is set to be a key cog for this group moving forward.
Lifelong Fan
At this point in Randle's life, it's safe to say he's officially living the dream. Not only is he preparing for his first season in the NBA, but he's doing it for the franchise he admired as a child.
According to Randle himself during pre-draft workouts, via Serena Winters of LakersNation.com, "From a little kid, I grew up and I was the biggest Lakers fan; probably more of a Kobe fan, but it didn’t matter!"
Randle continued, saying, "I was just the biggest Lakers fan and it was just humbling coming from where I come from going through what I go through. To finally, being on this court playing and practicing it was definitely crazy for me.”
Randle played his solo year of college for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was brought on as the top high school power forward in the country (No. 2 player overall), according to Rivals.com, and needless to say, he lived up to the expectations that came with being so highly recruited.
After leading his eighth-seeded Wildca...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
