Amid his busy schedule halfway across the world, Julius Randle found time to honor his teammate Jalen Brunson after being named the New York Knicks‘ team captain.

“Congrats cap,” Randle said on his Instagram story. “Well deserved!!”

Randle is currently in Japan, wrapping up his promotional tour for Skechers in Asia, along with Los Angeles Clippers‘ Terance Mann.

On Tuesday, August 6, the Knicks officially named Brunson as the team captain following a top-5 MVP season and gave the team a massive discount on a new team-friendly contract extension.

Brunson is the Knicks’ 36th team captain and the first since Lance Thomas during the 2018-19 season. It was an honor that Randle never received from the Knicks even after ascending as an NBA All-Star and All-NBA forward while leading the team to their first playoff berth in eight years in 2021.

Brunson, however, has exhibited the qualities of being a true leader, which Randle failed to exemplify especially during the turbulent season before the point guard’s arrival when he thumbed down fans and butted with the referees.

“The New York Knicks have a deep and storied history and today we are immensely proud to add to that lineage by naming Jalen Brunson as our captain,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in the announcement. “Jalen is a natural-born leader, and I am confident he will continue to represent our organization, fans, city and his teammates with the same heart, grit and class that he has displayed each and every day since he came to New York.”

After arriving in the 2022 free agency, Brunson has spearheaded the Knicks’ back-to-back postseason runs. He almost single-handedly carried the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals after they lost Randle to a shoulder injury in late January.

‘Nova Knicks Honor Jalen Brunson as Team Captain

Josh Hart and newest Knick Mikal Bridges honored Brunson, their Villanova teammate, after being named the team captain.

Hart posted a photo of him on X, formerly Twitter, saluting “Captain” Brunson.

Bridges, who arrived via blockbuster trade this offseason, shared the Knicks post with “Yeah Capt” as his caption.

The 27-year-old Brunson is coming off a career season, averaging 28.7 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 47.9% from the field and 40.1% from deep. He finished fifth in the MVP balloting while leading the Knicks to their first 50-win season in 11 years.

Without Randle and OG Anunoby in and out of the lineup, Brunson carried the Knicks and pushed the Indiana Pacers to seven games in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. He cemented his place among the franchise icons when he signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension, leaving $113 million on the table. He could have signed a five-year extension for $269 million if he waited until after next season.

No Extension Yet for Julius Randle

Randle is also eligible to sign a four-year, $181.5 million extension beginning on August 3. But three days have passed and no agreement has been reached.

SNY’s Ian Begley reported on July 7 that “the extension talks aren’t at the forefront for either the Knicks or Randle.”

Randle can become an unrestricted free agent after next season if the Knicks do not sign him to an extension and he declines his $30.9 million player option for the 2025-26 season. He should be ready by training camp after undergoing shoulder surgery that caused him to miss the final 36 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs.