Karl-Anthony Towns is a professional basketball player from the United States of America. He was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) and has been playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves since his draft. He plays Center and has been named an NBA All-Star three times, most recently in 2022.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Towns’ full name is Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. He was born in Edison, New Jersey on November 15, 1995.
His mother is Dominican and his father is African-American. He stands 211 cm tall and his last listed weight is 112 kg. He plays the position of center and he shoots with his right hand.
| Team |
Minnesota Timberwolves
|
| Position | Center |
| Height / weight | 2.13 m / 112 kg |
| Born | 15 Nov 1995 |
| Nationality |
Dominican Republic
|
| Playing Style | Right Handed |
| Nickname | KAT |
| Team History | |
|
Minnesota
|
2015 - present |
He lost his mother and several relatives to complications from COVID-19. He is dating singer Jordyn Woods.
High School and College Career
Towns attended St. Joseph High School. He helped his basketball team to win the state championships in 2012. He was ranked by ESPN as one of the top 25 high school players for that year.
For college, he attended the University of Kentucky, playing for the Kentucky Wildcats. He stayed a year at Kentucky before he declared for the NBA In 2015.
NBA Career
He was drafted into the NBA by the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2015 NBA Draft. He was their first overall pick in the first round. He debuted with the NBA in October of that year. It was in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In December 2015, he was named the Rookie of the Year for the Western Conference. He was also later named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2016. He was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
In 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Star Team for the first time. For the 2018-2019 season, he signed a contract extension with the Timberwolves. It was for a reported US$190 million.
In the 2020 to 2021 season, he tested positive for COVID-19. Around the same period, he lost his mother and other relatives due to COVID-19 complications. He missed a total of 13 games for that season.
For the 2021-2022 season, he was named to the NBA All-Star team for the third time. He also won the Mountain Dew Three-Point shoot-out. He became the first center in NBA history to have won the contest.
He suffered in injury in 2022, a left calf strain. He subsequently took time off to recover.
In addition to his professional career, he also represented the Dominican Republic internationally and made his debut for them in 2012.
Career Highlights
- 2018, 2019, 2022 - NBA All-Star
- 2018, 2022 - All-NBA Third Team
- 2016 - NBA Rookie of the Year
- 2016 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 2022 - NBA Three-Point Contest champion
- 2015 - Consensus second-team All-America
- 2015 - SEC Freshman of the Year
- 2015 - First-team All-SEC
- 2014 - Gatorade National Player of the Year
- 2014 - McDonald’s All-America
- 2014 - First-team Parade All-American
Medal record, Men’s basketball, Representing the Dominican Republic
- Gold - 2012 Centrobasket Puerto Rico
