Timberwolves Honor Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Before Game

The Minnesota Timberwolves regaled Karl-Anthony Towns with an emotional tribute video before tip-off against the New York Knicks.

Dec 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) warms up before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves before the game at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Karl-Anthony Towns' original NBA employers proved to be Minnesota nice upon the New York Knicks' long-awaited visit to Target Center.

Prior to tip-off between the Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, Thursday's hosts regaled the returning Towns with a tribute video commemorating his nine seasons in Minneapolis. Thursday marked the first meeting between the Knicks and Wolves since a late offseason barter sent Towns to Manhattan in exchange for a package headlined by Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle.

The ensuing video, which can be viewed on the Timberwolves' social media channels here, featured memorable moments such as his arrival out of Kentucky at the top of 2015 draft, his 60-point game against San Antonio in March 2022, his triumph in the 3-Point Contest in that same year, and, of course, his trip to last year's Western Conference Finals last spring. Towns departed Minnesota at or near the top of almost every major statistical category and he has lived up to every expectation the Knicks placed upon him.

After the video was displayed on Target Center's videoboards, Towns was warmly cheered by the Minnesotans gathered for the game as he was introduced with the rest of the Knicks' starting five.

In addition to commemorating Towns' on-court accomplishments, the Timberwolves also aired a video of his community achievements and affairs during one of the early timeout. That video can be view here (h/t Timberwolves Clips).

Towns had six rebounds and three points and assists each but the Timberwolves lead the Knicks 33-32 after the first quarter. Randle came through big for the hosts, scoring nearly half of their points with 15.

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