Karl-Anthony Towns

Background

Karl-Anthony Towns has proven to be a true force in professional basketball. A talented player, he has certainly been a valuable addition to every team he’s been in. He was born on November 15, 1995, in Edison, New Jersey. His zodiac sign is Scorpio and his ethnicity is Dominican and African-American. He is the son of Karl Towns Sr. and Jacqueline Cruz, and he has two sisters named Lachelle and Malaika. His father was a basketball coach at Piscataway Technical High School, where Towns practiced with the junior varsity team as a fifth-grader. While attending St. Joseph High School, Towns led its team to state titles three times and earned the top position on the ESPN 25 national ranking of high school players. He was also selected at the age of 16 to play on the Dominican Republic national basketball team.

After graduating high school, Towns enrolled in the University of Kentucky, where he studied kinesiology for one year. During his time there, he played for the Kentucky Wildcats, managing to impress scouts, and establishing himself as the consensus first overall pick leading up to the 2015 N.B.A. draft. He was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves, signing his rookie scale contract with the Timberwolves in July and making his N.B.A. debut in the Timberwolves’ season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers in October. In the following game against the Denver Nuggets, his 28 points and 14 rebounds propelled the Timberwolves to their first 2–0 start with two wins on the road in team history.

In 2016, Towns became the third-youngest player in the last three decades to have at least 45 points and 15 rebounds in a game at 21 years old. He had his 100th career double-double in the win, becoming the second-youngest player in league history to reach that mark, behind only Dwight Howard. In 2017, he finished in the top 10 in almost every statistical category in N.B.A. history compiled before his 22nd birthday. In 2018, he became the youngest player with 50 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Shaquille O’Neal. That same year, Towns signed a five-year, $190 million super-maximum extension with the Timberwolves. In 2020, he became one of the only five players in N.B.A. history to accumulate over 8,000 points, 4,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists in 360 games or less. In 2022, Towns became the first player in franchise history with multiple 50-plus point, 10-plus rebound games, as well as joining Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain as the only centers in the history of the N.B.A. to have a 60-point, 15-rebound outing.