Karl-Anthony Towns

About

Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. (born November 15, 1995), also known by his initials KAT, is a Dominican American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named to the Dominican Republic national team as a 16-year-old and played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Towns was named the Rookie of the Year for the 2015–16 season. He is second on the Timberwolves’ all-time scoring list. He led the team to the Western Conference finals in 2024, their first appearance in 20 years. After spending nine seasons with the Timberwolves, Towns was traded to the Knicks before the 2024–25 season. He was instrumental in helping the Knicks win the 2026 NBA Finals, their first championship win in 53 years. He is a six-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA Team member, and became the first center to win the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2022.

Towns was born in Edison, New Jersey to an African-American father, Karl Towns Sr., and a Dominican mother, Jacqueline Cruz. He grew up in Piscataway, New Jersey, and attended Lake Nelson…