Julius Randle did not need long to understand the kind of youthful energy he was dealing with after joining the Brooklyn Nets.
The 31-year-old veteran said a summer golf outing with some of his new teammates made it immediately clear that Brooklyn’s young core still has a few things to learn away from the basketball court. By the third hole, according to Randle, players were already trying to take their shirts off in the heat and rookie Mikel Brown Jr. had broken a driver.
“Well, they’re kids, first and foremost,” Randle said. “I learned that really, really fast on the golf course.”
The Nets are young. Julius Randle learned that quick on the golf course.
“I learned that really, really fast on the golf course,” Randle said. “Third hole in, they were trying to take their shirts off. You know, it’s just like they didn’t understand golf etiquette. Mikel (Brown)…
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) September 28, 2026
The group even received a warning over golf-course etiquette, turning what was supposed to be a relaxed team-bonding activity into an early lesson in just how young Brooklyn’s roster really is. Brown later disputed Randle’s version of events, while Egor Dëmin acknowledged that a couple of clubs were broken.
We have an important update in Brooklyn. Mikel Brown Jr. contests this version of events and any accusations of him taking his shirt off and or breaking clubs on the golf course.
“Julius said that? I’m gonna talk to him about that,” Brown said. “That is not true.” https://t.co/byEaXA0qZR
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) September 28, 2026
The story continues to develop! Egor Dëmin admits some hijinks did ensue during a golf trip with Julius Randle. He said he had a story about Mikel Brown Jr. but would not share it without talking to him. Still, he admits to some lapses.
“Yeah we broke a couple of clubs,” Dëmin… https://t.co/zSWQFX6o7c
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) September 28, 2026
Brooklyn enters the season with one of the NBA’s youngest rosters, including several recent first-round picks. Brown, the No. 6 selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, is among the players the Nets hope can become part of their long-term foundation.
That places Randle in a very different role from earlier stages of his career. Now he is one of the veterans expected to help guide a developing roster, passing along lessons he learned during his own career, including from his time around Kobe Bryant with the Lakers.
