NBA
Look: Karl-Anthony Towns’ First Knicks Practice
This Minnesota Timberwolf is back on the prowl, albeit in the colors of the New York Knicks.
While it’s not the hallowed hardwood of Madison Square Garden just yet, Karl-Anthony Towns made his first official appearance as a member of the Knicks on Thursday, donning a practice jersey to partake in training camp activities at The Citadel in Charleston, SC.
View the video posted by the Knicks’ social media channels here. It appears that Towns will keep the No. 32 he wore with the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the digits were last worn on a Knicks jersey by Noah Vonleh in 2019. Other notable wearers include Jerry Lucas, Xavier McDaniel, and Herb Williams.
While Towns was spotted at the Knicks’ practice facility in Tarrytown during the team’s media day proceedings on Monday, he was not allowed to speak or practice until the later hours of Wednesday, when New York and Minnesota made their blockbuster deal official. New York has sent Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the Midwest in the deal, as well as a hodgepodge of low-level contracts to the Charlotte Hornets as a way to financially stabilize the proceedings.
Acquiring Towns will no doubt add a new layer of excitement to this Knicks season, one already packed with hope and expectations after the team won 50 games and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket despite a myriad of injuries. Towns helped guide the Timberwolves to a long-sought appearance in the Western Conference Finals with a strong comeback season, averaging a 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in his fourth All-Star campaign after he was limited to 29 showings in 2022-23.
Time will tell if Towns makes his unofficial Knicks debut this weekend, as New York is slated to open its preseason slate on Sunday late afternoon in Charlotte (5 p.m. ET, MSG).