Julius Randle is crediting a major lifestyle change with helping him thrive on and off the court since leaving the New York Knicks.
During his visit to the Change Your Brain Every Day podcast, the three-time All-Star revealed that he gave up smoking marijuana after being traded from the Knicks to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He said the decision has sharpened his focus and improved his mental health.
"It's definitely tough in today's world," Randle said around the 28-minute mark in the video above. "I think it's so important to have a clear mind and being able to be strong mentally without anything influencing you as far as a substance, or a voice or whatever. Being able to sort your own thoughts out."
Randle admitted that smoking often pulled him away from reality, making him less present with those closest to him:
"It made me distant and not present. I'd kinda just be in my own world and I'm like, 'No, I'm fine.' Like this is what it is," Randle said. "My wife would be like 'No, you're just not present. We're having a conversation and you're not really present.'"
For Randle, leaving marijuana behind after his trade to Minnesota proved pivotal. The forward became an integral part of the Timberwolves' deep playoff run in 2025, silencing doubts about whether he would fit in with the roster.
The NBA no longer tests players for marijuana, and many stars across the league openly use it. In 2023, Kevin Durant said "everybody" in the NBA is indulging in cannabis, and he was one of the many players who pushed for NBA commissioner Adam Silver to remove the drug from its banned list.
"It's the NBA, man. Everybody does it, to be honest. It's like wine at this point," Durant said. "I just enjoy the plant. It's as simple as that."