Yankees, Mets Fans Unite in Uproarious Applause for Knicks' Star Karl-Anthony Towns

The New York center got a warm reception on Sunday night's Subway Series game.
Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns gestures to fans at Yankees vs. Mets Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium.
Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns gestures to fans at Yankees vs. Mets Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium. / via MLB

The New York City area is home to nine teams across the four major North American Sports, but when they're good, no team captures the city's attention like the New York Knicks.

When is the operative word there, and for much of the last 25 years, Knicks fans haven't had much to celebrate. That has changed in '25, as New York has a legitimate chance to capture its first NBA championship since 1973.

Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the Knicks' major offseason acquisitions, has played a huge part in New York's run to the Eastern Conference finals, with 19.8 points per game and a team-high 11.3 rebounds per game in the postseason. With a few days before the Knicks open play against the Indiana Pacers, Towns took in Sunday night's Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium, and managed to do something that is often quite difficult: unite Mets and Yankees fans.

As Towns—wearing an incredible Knicks fan meme shirt—was shown on the video boards in the Bronx, it sounded like the entire stadium got to its feet to give him his flowers.

Towns and the Knicks will take center stage on Wednesday night as they open the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. Game 1 at Madison Square Garden tips off at 8 p.m. ET.


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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.