Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Has Iconic Response to All-Star Nod

Fresh off earning one of the brightest decorations of his NBA career to date, New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns appears to have already shifted his focus to the next one.

“It’s a huge honor to be selected to All-Star team," Towns said, per James Edwards III of The Athletic. "Rings are cooler.”

There are still plenty of landmarks that Towns has to work through to land his circular dream, including the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 in San Francisco. On Thursday, Towns was revealed as one of the first 10 men set to appear in the 24-player pool that will make up the teams for the exhibition,

Towns can certainly act like he's been there before, as he'll partake in his fifth All-Star Game. He notably put in 50 points in last year's defensively-challenged conference-vs.-conference showdown while repping the Minnesota Timberwolves.

His first time repping the Knicks, however, will see him appear in the All-Star starting five alongside teammate Jalen Brunson. Both will be making their All-Star opening five debuts and serve as the first pair of Knicks to share the honor since Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe earn the privilege in 1975.

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Western Conference center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball against Eastern Conference forward Scottie Barnes (4) of the Toronto Raptors during the first half of the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Towns was at least wise enough to put his championship dreams temporarily aside to appreciate his spot in Knicks history.

"It's super special to even be mentioned with names like that," Towns said in video from SNY. "I grew up in this area. To have my name even be close to theirs is something that you just dream about when you're young. I'm super honored, to say the least and I'm just happy that I have this opportunity to represent the team."

Thanks to Towns' arrival from Minnesota in October, the Knicks (29-16) have what many believe is their most legitimate championship case in quite some time. The fact he has averaged a 25.1-point, 13.9-rebound double-double over the first half-plus of the season certainly helped his All-Star case, which saw him beat out notable names such as Paolo Banchero, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid.

Towns, however, hopes that his honor will be one that pays homage to everything the Knicks have done as a team so far this season.

"Huge shoutout to JB and all of our team, the coaching staff, and our teammates, because they made it all possible," Towns said in video from SNY. "They're talking about us two, going to All-Star Weekend, two All-Stars, but really, we're just there to represent our team. These are the reason we're able to go out there and do what we do. You say two All-Stars, I see us as a whole organization being represented."

Towns and the Knicks return to action on Saturday when they host the Sacramento Kings (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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