Former Cats trade shots on television and Twitter

Former University of Kentucky basketball players Julius Randle and Enes Kanter traded barbs Wednesday after Kanter took an unprovoked shot at Randle during an interview.

Kanter was asked what he thought of former Duke star and recent first pick in the NBA Draft, Zion Williamson, during his appearence on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports 1.

“I kind of feel like he’s overhyped,” Kanter said. “I feel like he’s Julius Randle with hops.”

Kanter, a notorious provocateur both in interviews and on the internet, also responded to Cowherd’s assertion that other players felt the same way about Williamson.

“Some players are even scared to, like, say it,” Kanter said. “But you know me, you know I’m not scared to say anything.”

Randle didn’t take kindly to Kanter’s putting him down, responding with a shot of his own on Twitter later Wednesday.

Randle was correct, as the last time the two met on the court, he came away with 45 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, making 20 of his 34 shots from the field in a 122-110 loss for Randle’s New Orleans Pelicans against Kanter’s Portland Trail Blazers. Kanter finished the game with 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Kanter was one of only two players on the Trail Blazers to have either a zero or a negative plus/minus rating for the game.

Randle has so far spent his offseason attending a Harvard Business School class with several other celebrities and pondering his NBA destination for next season, as he recently declined a $9 million player option for the 2019-20 season with the Pelicans in order to become a free agent.

Kanter, who was banned by the NCAA from actually setting foot on the floor for the Wildcats after accepting impermissible benefits in Turkey, is also a free agent, after joining Portland following the New York Knicks buying out his contract.

Their playing careers never crossed paths at Kentucky. Kanter was here for the 2010-11 season, Randle in 2013-14.