# Karl-Anthony Towns
**Karl-Anthony Towns** (born 1995 in [Edison, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/edison-new-jersey)) is an American professional basketball player, a 7-foot-0 (2.13 m), 248-pound center-forward for the [New York Knicks](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-knicks) of the NBA who was selected first overall in the 2015 draft and won an NBA championship with New York in 2026.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) • [2](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/06/03/like-psg-the-knicks-successfully-rebuilt-by-ditching-superstars_6754103_9.html) He spent his first nine seasons with the [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-timberwolves), where he became the franchise's career leader in three-pointers made, before a September 2024 trade sent him to the Knicks.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) • [3](https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/10/22/minnesota-timberwolves-2024-preview-guide-to-faking-it)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Edison, New Jersey; 7'0" (2.13 m), 248 lb (112 kg)[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) |
| Draft | 2015, first round, first overall, by the Minnesota Timberwolves, after one season at Kentucky[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) |
| Minnesota record | 22.9 points (48.0% FG; 39.8% 3PT), 10.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game in 573 games over nine seasons; franchise leader with 975 three-pointers made[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) |
| Honors | NBA Rookie of the Year (2015-16); two-time All-NBA Third Team (2017-18, 2021-22); All-Star selections in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2024, with six total selections counted by StatMuse; 2022 Three-Point Contest champion[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) • [4](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/towns-9289) |
| Scoring peak | Career-high 62 points against Charlotte on January 22, 2024, the first player in NBA history with 10+ made two-pointers, 10+ threes, and 10+ free throws in one game[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) |
| Trade | Sent to the New York Knicks in September 2024 for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo[3](https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/10/22/minnesota-timberwolves-2024-preview-guide-to-faking-it) |
| Championship | Won the 2026 NBA title with the Knicks, the franchise's first since 1973[2](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/06/03/like-psg-the-knicks-successfully-rebuilt-by-ditching-superstars_6754103_9.html) |
| 2025-26 season | 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 31.0 minutes per game for New York[5](https://wcehoops.com/player/karl-anthony-towns) |
## Early life and high school
Towns was born in Edison, New Jersey, in 1995 to Jacqueline Cruz and Karl Towns Sr., a former [Monmouth University](https://www.edgepedia.org/monmouth-university) player who coached high school basketball in nearby Piscataway.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) • [6](https://a9effd958e0dc59aaf3b-80520a33cc33a15351bd958c9b8ecc55.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/AprilSeasons-2019Spreads.pdf) His mother was from the [Dominican Republic](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominican-republic), and Towns competed for that country's national team, where he met Kentucky coach [John Calipari](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-calipari) before enrolling there.[6](https://a9effd958e0dc59aaf3b-80520a33cc33a15351bd958c9b8ecc55.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/AprilSeasons-2019Spreads.pdf)
At St. Joseph [High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-school) he helped the program win three consecutive New Jersey state titles and made 127 three-pointers in his career.[7](https://www.nba.com/knicks/draft15/2015-draft-prospect-profile-karl-anthony-towns) As a senior he averaged 20.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 6.2 blocks while shooting 66.1 percent from the field, was a three-time first-team All-State selection, and was named Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) Recruiting services ranked him fourth overall in the 2014 class by Scout.com, fifth by Rivals, and ninth by ESPN.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio)
## College career at Kentucky
Towns played one season (2014-15) for Kentucky under John Calipari, averaging 10.3 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line, and ranking second in the SEC in blocks at 2.3 per game.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) He was named SEC Freshman of the Year and an AP and NABC Second Team All-American, and he earned Midwest Region MVP after a career-high 25 points against Notre Dame in the Elite Eight.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) He declared for the [NBA draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-draft) in April 2015, and Minnesota selected him first overall.[6](https://a9effd958e0dc59aaf3b-80520a33cc33a15351bd958c9b8ecc55.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/AprilSeasons-2019Spreads.pdf) • [1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio)
## Minnesota Timberwolves (2015-2024)
Towns won the 2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year and made the Rookie First Team.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) After that season, NBA general managers voted him the one player they would most like to build a franchise around.[8](https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/5/16/24157903/karl-anthony-towns-minnesota-timberwolves-rudy-gobert-anthony-edwards) His scoring profile was unusual for a center: he is the only player in NBA history to shoot 55 percent or better on at least 2,000 two-point attempts and 38 percent or better on at least 1,000 three-point attempts, and he is one of 10 players to average at least 22 points and 10 rebounds over a career of at least 500 games.[9](https://www.nba.com/news/karl-anthony-towns-15-key-stats) In 2019 he led the league with 12.9 post-ups per game.[8](https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/5/16/24157903/karl-anthony-towns-minnesota-timberwolves-rudy-gobert-anthony-edwards)
**Individual peak.** On January 22, 2024, against Charlotte, Towns scored a career-high and franchise-record 62 points on 21-of-35 shooting, including 10-of-15 from three, the most points ever scored at [Target Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/target-center).[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) That game made him the first player in NBA history to record 10 or more made two-point shots, 10 or more threes, and 10 or more free throws in a single game, and just the seventh player with multiple 60-point games.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio)
**Team success and departure.** In 2024 he helped the Timberwolves reach their first Western Conference Finals since 2003-04, averaging 19.1 points and 9.0 rebounds over 16 playoff games.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio) He had signed a supermax contract extension in 2022, and the Timberwolves traded him in September 2024 in part because the contract was about to become onerously expensive.[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/02/nba-cba-complicated-trade-rules/681587/) He left Minnesota first in franchise history in three-pointers made (975) and second in points (13,121), rebounds (6,216), blocks (721), field goals made (4,821), and free throws made (2,504).[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio)
## New York Knicks (2024-present)
The trade, finalized in late September 2024, sent Towns to New York for All-NBA power forward [Julius Randle](https://www.edgepedia.org/julius-randle) and guard [Donte DiVincenzo](https://www.edgepedia.org/donte-divincenzo), with draft capital also involved; Spanish reporting put the total cost to the Knicks at one first-round pick, noting Minnesota was eager to shed the contract.[3](https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/10/22/minnesota-timberwolves-2024-preview-guide-to-faking-it) • [11](https://www.nba.com/news/karl-anthony-towns-tom-thibodeau-reunion) • [12](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/rose-y-el-exorcismo-de-la-gran-manzana-f202606-n/) The move reunited him with coach [Tom Thibodeau](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-thibodeau), who had coached him in Minnesota, and filled a center vacancy created by Isaiah Hartenstein's departure and Mitchell Robinson's injury.[11](https://www.nba.com/news/karl-anthony-towns-tom-thibodeau-reunion)
In 2024-25 the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals but were eliminated one step short of the Finals.[2](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/06/03/like-psg-the-knicks-successfully-rebuilt-by-ditching-superstars_6754103_9.html) New York replaced Thibodeau with Mike Brown in the summer of 2025, and Brown's system made the Knicks the top offense of the regular season.[2](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/06/03/like-psg-the-knicks-successfully-rebuilt-by-ditching-superstars_6754103_9.html) In 2025-26 Towns averaged 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 31.0 minutes per game.[5](https://wcehoops.com/player/karl-anthony-towns) During the championship run he accepted a reduced scoring volume in favor of elite passing and rebounding, becoming a team-first version of his game.[13](https://lastwordonsports.com/basketball/2026/06/19/karl-anthony-towns/) The Knicks beat [Victor Wembanyama](https://www.edgepedia.org/victor-wembanyama)'s San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals), winning the franchise's first title since 1973.[2](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/06/03/like-psg-the-knicks-successfully-rebuilt-by-ditching-superstars_6754103_9.html)
## Playing style
Towns combines perimeter shooting with size: he is one of the NBA's best shooting big men, and his range changes opponent rotations.[9](https://www.nba.com/news/karl-anthony-towns-15-key-stats) • [14](https://mipaoverseas.com/karl-anthony-towns-stats-impact-2/) In each of the four seasons through 2026 he was the NBA's most prolific driver among players taller than 6-foot-11.[15](https://www.theringer.com/2026/04/01/nba/new-york-knicks-nba-playoffs-2026-karl-anthony-towns-mike-brown) His defense has been the more variable end of his game, swinging between strong and porous stretches depending on matchups, effort, and team scheme.[14](https://mipaoverseas.com/karl-anthony-towns-stats-impact-2/) A Sporting News comparison during his first Knicks season described him as scoring like prime [Dirk Nowitzki](https://www.edgepedia.org/dirk-nowitzki) while defending like the later-career Nowitzki.[16](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/new-york-knicks/news/karl-anthony-towns-dirk-nowitzki-scoring-defending/4c59189f9acdd7e99b1c64f7)
## Personal life and off-court work
Towns's mother, Jacqueline Cruz, died of complications from COVID-19, and he has described a period of grief that began about six years before October 2026 and continued even after he won the NBA title; he marked World Mental Health Day in 2026 by discussing it publicly with the nonprofit Project Healthy Minds.[17](https://apnews.com/article/0cc40ad38e8cc70dd8ad6267389a10f3) Other family members were also lost to COVID-19 beginning in April 2020.[11](https://www.nba.com/news/karl-anthony-towns-tom-thibodeau-reunion)
In September 2024 he announced plans to help build a state-of-the-art youth basketball training facility in Santiago, Dominican Republic, his mother's homeland, with coaching, physical therapy, and classroom space, targeted for completion in 2026.[18](https://apnews.com/article/5e81bb37512a6add9cbabbda8da69cd5) His NBA honors off the floor include the 2023-24 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio)
## References
1. [Karl-Anthony Towns player bio, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1626157/karl-anthony-towns/bio)
2. [Like PSG, the Knicks successfully rebuilt by ditching superstars, Le Monde (June 3, 2026)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/06/03/like-psg-the-knicks-successfully-rebuilt-by-ditching-superstars_6754103_9.html)
3. [Timberwolves 2024-2025 preview, Axios Twin Cities (October 22, 2024)](https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/10/22/minnesota-timberwolves-2024-preview-guide-to-faking-it)
4. [Karl-Anthony Towns, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/towns-9289)
5. [Karl-Anthony Towns NBA Percentile Profile, Basketball Savant](https://wcehoops.com/player/karl-anthony-towns)
6. [Karl-Anthony Towns magazine profile (April 2019)](https://a9effd958e0dc59aaf3b-80520a33cc33a15351bd958c9b8ecc55.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/AprilSeasons-2019Spreads.pdf)
7. [2015 Draft Prospect Profile: Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks](https://www.nba.com/knicks/draft15/2015-draft-prospect-profile-karl-anthony-towns)
8. [The Metamorphosis of Karl-Anthony Towns, The Ringer (May 16, 2024)](https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/5/16/24157903/karl-anthony-towns-minnesota-timberwolves-rudy-gobert-anthony-edwards)
9. [Karl-Anthony Towns stat sheet: 15 key numbers after trade to Knicks, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/karl-anthony-towns-15-key-stats)
10. [How the Economists Took Over the NBA, The Atlantic (February 2025)](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/02/nba-cba-complicated-trade-rules/681587/)
11. [Karl-Anthony Towns, Tom Thibodeau find harmony in New York, NBA.com (April 18, 2025)](https://www.nba.com/news/karl-anthony-towns-tom-thibodeau-reunion)
12. [Rose y el exorcismo de la Gran Manzana, AS (June 2026)](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/rose-y-el-exorcismo-de-la-gran-manzana-f202606-n/)
13. [Karl-Anthony Towns and the Anatomy of a Championship Big Man, Last Word on Sports (June 19, 2026)](https://lastwordonsports.com/basketball/2026/06/19/karl-anthony-towns/)
14. [Karl-Anthony Towns: Stats, Role & Game Impact, mipaoverseas.com](https://mipaoverseas.com/karl-anthony-towns-stats-impact-2/)
15. [KAT and the Knicks Are Stuck (Again), The Ringer (April 1, 2026)](https://www.theringer.com/2026/04/01/nba/new-york-knicks-nba-playoffs-2026-karl-anthony-towns-mike-brown)
16. [Karl-Anthony Towns is scoring like prime Dirk Nowitzki, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/new-york-knicks/news/karl-anthony-towns-dirk-nowitzki-scoring-defending/4c59189f9acdd7e99b1c64f7)
17. [Knicks champion Karl-Anthony Towns opens up about grief for World Mental Health Day, AP News (October 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/0cc40ad38e8cc70dd8ad6267389a10f3)
18. [Karl-Anthony Towns bringing youth basketball facility to Dominican Republic, AP News (September 26, 2024)](https://apnews.com/article/5e81bb37512a6add9cbabbda8da69cd5)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Centers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license