Knicks Star Explains Viral Wardrobe Switch

It wasn't easy wearing green for one New York Knicks star.

Sidelined with a thumb injury, Karl-Anthony Towns did what he could to soothe tensions in the ongoing rivalry between the Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers when the Manhattanites visited Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday. The ailing Towns' fashion sense stood in a sea of blue and orange as he donned a bright green sweatshirt depicting the throwback logos and wordmarks of the nearby Philadelphia Eagles.

Towns rocking Eagles gear on the Knicks bench might be his first misstep ngl 🤮 pic.twitter.com/cmm7LyLNIB
— KnicksNation (@KnicksNation) January 16, 2025

Towns is from New Jersey, the home of the New York Giants, a lasting Eagles rival. Many Knicks fans also jointly support the Giants and thus simultaneously despise the Eagles, who play a stone's throw away from the Sixers' domain of Wells Fargo Center at Lincoln Financial Field.

But, even though he didn't play, Towns appeared to have one rejection in store: after halftime, the center ditched his Eagles garb for new threads, namely a Knicks-inspired piece from the famed New York Or Nowhere collection. While some Knicks/Giants fans basked in their perceived influence, Towns stated he wanted to look his best for ESPN's cameras in an X post from the aftermath.

"Aye twitter, Sweat stains ain’t it on ESPN," Towns wrote after the Knicks earned a 125-119 win in overtime. "Had to pull another fit out! anyways…GO BIRDS."

Aye twitter,

Sweat stains ain’t it on ESPN. Had to pull another fit out!

anyways…GO BIRDS 🦅😤
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) January 16, 2025

In Towns' defense, tensions were certainly high in the latest edition of the New York-Philadelphia hardwood war: Towns' Knicks led by as much as 16 on Wednesday before the hosting Sixers mustered a late comeback despite missing several contributing names like Joel Embiid. New York eventually pulled away with a brilliant showing in the overtime session, one that saw them use a 16-5 run to create the final margin.

Appropriately, Towns' fellow Eagles supporter Jalen Brunson came up big in the extra session, scoring half of the Knicks' 16 points in the period. Brunson, who previously starred at Wells Fargo Center as a member of the Villanova Wildcats' men's basketball team, playfully chided Towns for his wardrobe malfunction after the game.

"If it was me, I would've kept (the Eagles) sweater on," a smirking Brunson told Cassidy Hubbarth of ESPN after the game. "But that's just me."

With the Knicks off for the weekend after Friday's visit from the Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG), Brunson and Towns will able to enjoy the next stanza of the Eagles' Super Bowl trek in peace: Philadelphia is set to partake in the NFL's Divisional playoff round on Sunday afternoon at "The Linc," where they'll host the Los Angeles Rams for a bid to the NFC Championship Game (3 p.m. ET, NBC).

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