Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Donating NBA Cup Winnings to Incredible Cause

The bank accounts for the New York Knicks players and coaches all grew on Tuesday night. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Championship, which meant a nice payday for all involved.

For winning the championship, players on the team earned $530,000. For players at the end of the bench on rookie contracts or two-way deals, that is a lot of money. Mohamed Diawara, a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is making $1,272,870 this season.

Tosan Evbuomwan, Trey Jemison and Kevin McCullar are on two-way deals, earning $636,435 if they play in all 40 games they are eligible for. At a minimum, they will earn an extra $85,000 guaranteed.

For those players, this is a lot of money to receive. But, near the top of the roster, $530,000 isn’t nearly as impactful. For example, Karl-Anthony Towns is the highest-paid player on the team, set to earn $53,142,264 this season.

Karl-Anthony Towns donating NBA Cup winnings

Dec 15, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) at press conference prior to the Emirates NBA Cup championship at the T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Instead of taking the prize money and adding it to his already massive salary, Towns has decided to put his winnings to a great cause. As shared by Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, he will be forwarding the money to his foundation, the KAT Team Foundation, which was founded in 2017, to help in the Dominican Republic.

The donation will go towards helping the community and families who are facing financial hardships, while also helping build new homes. That is an incredibly kind gesture from Towns to help out those who are less fortunate than he is.

Karl-Anthony Towns says that he plans to donate his $530,000 from winning the NBA Cup to his foundation in the Dominican Republic to help the community and families in financial hardship build homes.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) December 17, 2025

Towns’ late mother, Jacqueline Cruz, was from the Dominican Republic. He is incredibly proud of his heritage, previously representing the nation during international play, including the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Towns has accomplished a lot on the court as an NBA player. He helped the Knicks defeat the Spurs, while battling a calf injury, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds, one assist and two steals.

He combined with Mitchell Robinson to make life difficult for Victor Wembanyama, dominating on the interior with some ferocious rebounding.

A five-time All-Star, he is aiming to help carry the Knicks to new heights alongside Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart as a dominant starting five.

For as good a player as he is on the court, Towns is even better off the court with his civic engagement and philanthropy through his foundation, helping those in need when he can.

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