Josh Hart Adds More Nicknames for Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns

Josh Hart has taken it upon himself to solve one final issue of the New York Knicks offseason: providing a nickname for newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns.

With the days dwindling toward the Knicks’ 2024-25 season opener, Hart has continued to seek the perfect informal moniker for Towns, who continues to familiarize himself with New York basketball after coming over from Minnesota in a trade earlier this month.

Hart had previous suggested “The Big Bodega” as Towns’ nickname but offered a refreshed list when Kris Pursiainen of Knicks Film School and CBS Sports questioned the official status.

“The Big Bodega, The Big Kat, Kit Kat, The Big Meow, Big Purr,” Hart replied in succession on X.

Towns has certainly endeared himself to Knicks fans and teammates alike in the early going: despite joining training camp late, Towns has averaged 17 points and 10.7 rebounds in a trio of preseason games, including a serendipitous double-double of 16 points and rebounds each in Sunday’s 115-110 over his original NBA employers.

The 10.7 rebounds would be a preseason career-best for Towns, who came over in exchange for a package headlined by Julius Randle and Donte DiVIncenzo.

“I think they’re different players in some ways, but similar in others. I think Julius is more of a power forward, but a terrific player. When you look at what he did for us, the scoring, the passing, rebounding, but it’s at the power forward position,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said before Sunday’s exhibition, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “We had a great need obviously with Mitchell Robinson [injured] and Isaiah [Hartenstein] losing [him] in free agency. We needed a center. That was a big part of it, so I think the center position.”

“When I look at Karl, I like his versatility and his size is important to us.” 

Towns’ next chance to prove his worth on Tuesday night when the Knicks play their penultimate preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets at home (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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