NEW YORK — New York Knicks star Julius Randle, in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report, revealed why he chose to have season-ending surgery after dislocating his right shoulder in late January.

Randle, 29, said he suffered a setback during the rehab process after initially opting not to undergo surgery to keep alive the hope of returning this season.

"I want everyone to know that I did everything in my power to get back this season," Randle told B/R in an interview over the phone. "That was my intention, to be playing right now. That's why I didn't opt for surgery when it happened. But what caused me to finally go through with getting surgery was about five weeks ago, I went through a full-contact session in pads and re-injured my shoulder. My s--t wasn't stable. I felt like I was in the same state when I first dislocated it, and It's been an uphill battle ever since.

"Choosing to get surgery was my only option at this point. It's frustrating, but I'm at peace knowing I tried everything."

Randle said he expects to be full healthy for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season. After surgery, he'll be re-evaluated in five months, the team announced.

"I visited a couple of shoulder specialists. One said I 100 percent needed to get surgery. Another one said I'm at risk, but if I dislocated it again, I could damage it permanently," Randle said.

"I believe in this team and wanted to give it a try. It didn't work out, unfortunately. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it was my only option at this point. It wasn't getting right."

Had the three-time All-Star chosen to undergo the procedure when the injury occurred, he said that would have been tough to deal with. "I didn't want to go through 'what if I could play.' I wanted to know for sure if I could or not.

"I don't have any regrets about going through with this process. I had to give myself a chance to get back on the court for my team. I thought I could. That contact session derailed it."

The Knicks still are awaiting the fate of forward OG Anunoby, who will miss his ninth straight game Thursday due to right elbow inflammation. The team is being overly cautious with the hope he would be available for the playoffs without being in and out of the lineup, sources say.

Ideally, Anunoby and the Knicks would prefer a game or two under his belt before postseason play, but it's possible that might not be conceivable, sources say.

The seventh-year swingman is progressing and there still remains some inflammation, but he's tracking the right way, according to sources.

"Whoever is out there, I got confidence in this team," Randle told B/R. "I believe in them and I'll be rooting them on."