MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns remembers.
He remembers standing just inches away from a 39-year-old Kevin Garnett during the Timberwolves legend’s farewell tour, witnessing firsthand as Garnett unleashed a thunderous poster dunk on then-Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin. Towns’ visceral reaction — arms flexed, voice booming as if he were the one who soared over Griffin — helped the moment go viral.
He remembers Halloween 2018, when a 30-year-old Derrick Rose, against all odds, resurrected his career with a 50-point masterpiece in a win over the Utah Jazz.
He remembers the final game of the 2017-18 regular season, when the Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets in overtime to end one of the NBA’s longest playoff droughts. And he remembers last season’s Game 7 thriller against the same Nuggets, a victory that punched Minnesota’s ticket to just its second-ever Western Conference Finals.
But what Towns doesn’t remember is this airport terminal.
And hotels? What are those? This is home. At least it used to be full-time.
Now, Towns is an opponent, Thursday’s return a stark reminder of his new reality.
“I didn’t get to go to Signature [Minneapolis’ private airport terminal], so that was kind of a wild experience by itself,” Towns says after Knicks shootaround at the Target Center on Thursday. “I’m not used to landing and going to a hotel in Minnesota. That has never happened since the day I got drafted.”
***
The microphone won’t stay still.
Towns is in a room he knows very well. It’s the Target Center’s press conference room, and he’s sitting at a podium he’s seen for nearly a decade. The microphone falls. Towns fixes it before it falls again.
“This is crazy,” he says, laughing as he adjusts it.
Crazy is an understatement. The last three months have been a whirlwind for Towns, who was traded to the Knicks just days into training camp. In exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick, the Knicks acquired their man — a perennial All-Star center and self-proclaimed best shooting big man in NBA history.
Now, more than a quarter of a season into his Knicks career, Towns is thriving. He’s averaging 24.8 points, a career-best 13.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, one block, and 0.9 steals per game. His 43.9% shooting from three-point range has helped the Knicks rank among the NBA’s top-three offenses.
Yet here in Minnesota, donning a new jersey is the last thing on his mind.
“We’re doing a lot of good things [on the Knicks] and I’m happy,” Towns says. “Obviously, it’s hard to a question like that [about the Knicks] and I’m here in this room that I’ve had a lot of memories in.”
That’s because today is not about basketball, even if there’s an important game on the docket. Today is about emotion.
And Towns isn’t afraid to admit it.
He knows this isn’t just any other game. This is his homecoming. Not all players get to experience this moment.
“I’ve never been traded. I’m usually the one in the Timberwolves jersey looking at the tribute videos,” he says. “But it’s kind of weird being on the other side now. I just want to appreciate every second of this experience. It’s gonna be great to see my brothers on the court tonight.”
Towns is happy to be a Knick.
For him, it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream — not just for himself but for his family and the Dominican community in New York City.
Yet, his connection to Minneapolis remains profound. It will always be that way no matter where his journey takes him.
“I wanted to be here,” Towns says. “I just wanted to be the best I could be in whatever NBA jersey I put on, but I especially wanted to be my best here in a Timberwolves jersey. This place has given my family so much, not even from a financial aspect, but just from a life aspect of the experiences, the moments we were able to have because of the organization and the things we were able to accomplish here. Those are things you could never discredit or lose love for. I continue to see Minnesota as a home for me.”
***
Towns’ move to New York was a transition from one winning situation to another, from a smaller market to the biggest stage in basketball.
Yet, it wasn’t without its challenges. He gave Minneapolis everything he had. Just like that, the name on the front of the jersey changed.
“You’ve given all of yourself — mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually — to an organization and then have to, in essence, start over,” he says. “It’s a different experience.”
Mikal Bridges knows a thing or two about trades.
The Phoenix Suns traded him to Brooklyn as part of the Kevin Durant deal in 2023, and the Nets traded him to the Knicks for five draft picks during the offseason.
Bridges has already returned to Phoenix but acknowledges that Towns’ return to Minnesota carries a deeper significance.
“Yeah, I think it’s gonna be a lot of love,” he says. “He’s done way more in Minnesota than what I’ve done in Phoenix, being the No. 1 pick and everything. It’ll be real cool for him.”
But Towns is just going with the flow. Sure, he’s anxious. He’s overcome with emotion long before tipoff against his former teammates. Yet he carries an air of gratitude.
“I’ve been through a lot especially in a T’Wolves jersey. You learn to appreciate these moments that don’t come around ever or often,” he says. “So I’m in a place in life where I don’t look at life as glass half empty. I look at it as half full. So I’m appreciative of this opportunity to be back in a place I’ve called home and have so many great memories at and able to play here against guys I’ve played with.”
For Towns, the chapter in Minnesota will never fully close. He still watches Timberwolves games and cheers for his former teammates, players he considers family. In many ways, Towns has bridged two generations of Timberwolves basketball — receiving the torch from Garnett and passing it to Anthony Edwards.
Edwards may very well attempt to put Towns on a poster as his own way of welcoming his former teammate — his brother — back home.
“Why it gotta be me personally?” Towns laughs. “Why you couldn’t think of maybe I’m gonna try to dunk on him?”
As Towns prepares to help lead his team to victory, all he can do is soak in the moment. He’s letting the memories come and go.
Towns knows the healthiest way forward is to treat this as just another game — an opportunity for the Knicks to continue building chemistry while adding a mark in the win column — but in reality, this was a game circled in invisible ink.
This is a statement game. It’s homecoming disguised as Game 27 of 82.
“My goal, when I [used to] put this Timberwolves jersey on, was to amplify this organization and the players, community, staff, everybody in the building, to make their lives better and amplify everybody so they could reach new heights in their careers and their lives,” he says. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was make other people’s lives better. I’ve said it before here in Minnesota: I’m a serving leadership. Serving leadership I feel is my leadership style. I’m here to serve others.”
