A couple of days ago, Louisville basketball’s former 5-star freshman, Mikel Brown Jr., made his NBA Summer League debut with the Brooklyn Nets. Brown broke multiple NBA Draft droughts for the Cardinals, being the first Louisville Cardinal drafted in the first round since 2017, the first Cardinal drafted in the top 10 since 1996, and being the first Card drafted in the top six since 1990.
Now, after missing the first few Summer League games, Brown made his highly anticipated debut after being selected No. 6 overall by the Brooklyn Nets. The former Cardinal represented Louisville well, scoring a game-high 20 points in just 22 minutes to lead Brooklyn to a dominant 26-point win over the New York Knicks.
Not only were Louisville and Nets fans impressed and happy with what they were seeing, but the Brooklyn Nets' 3-time NBA All-Star Julius Randle was as well. When Randle talked about the Nets' lottery pick, he not only had a lot of praise for Brown, but he also admitted he had a dominant game against Kentucky.
Julius Randle admits Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. 'did us dirty'
For those who don’t know or remember, Randle was one of John Calipari’s one-and-dones at Kentucky. The former Wildcat played for Kentucky in the 2013-2014 season after committing to the program as a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2013 recruiting class.
Randle was a huge part of Kentucky’s National Championship run in 2013-14, winning SEC Rookie of the Year, making the AP All-American Third-Team, and making the NCAA All-Tournament Team. The former Wildcat is apparently still loyal to his Kentucky Wildcats, as he admitted he doesn’t watch college basketball much but tuned in for Louisville vs. Kentucky and now watches his newest teammate take over against Kentucky and lead Louisville to the win.
“I joked with him that I don’t watch a lot of college basketball, but the one game of his that I did watch was against my Kentucky Wildcats, and he did us dirty,” stated Randle. “ He seems like he got a great head on his shoulders–very poised, calm, confident. I like what I am seeing out here.”
“He [@MikelBrownJr1] seems like he got a great head on his shoulders–very poised, calm, confident.”@J30_RANDLE is already loving what he’s seeing from the rook… except for the fact that Kel’s Louisville Cardinals beat his UK Wildcats 😅 pic.twitter.com/LprO18jxnA
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) July 10, 2026
Louisville played Kentucky back in November, and Brown showed early on just how high his potential is, making a lasting impact on Randle. The Cards defeated Kentucky 96-88, led by Brown, after the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft scored a game-high 29 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, including three made shots beyond the arc.
Brown then quickly impressed his newest teammate in his Summer League debut, scoring 20 points in 22 minutes, on 50 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Randle has been in the league for 12 seasons and is coming off another impressive year, where he averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Randle was happy with what he saw, not just when Brown played Kentucky this past season, but the other night in his debut, complimenting Brown’s poise, confidence, and more. Brown showed he can create shots for himself and his teammates, and now the Brooklyn Nets are hoping these two will be an elite duo in Brooklyn this upcoming season.
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