Karl-Anthony Towns Recalls Moment He Felt Like a Knick fo…

Karl-Anthony Towns has revealed a December night in Toronto was his first real “New York” moment as a member of the Knicks.

During his visit to Carmelo Anthony’s 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, KAT called his game-winner against the Toronto Raptors and his feisty celebration afterwards last December his official “New York” moment. The moment occurred inside Scotiabank Arena, when the Knicks and Raptors traded buckets until the very end.

Towns, who was quiet for much of the night, erupted in the fourth quarter, where he dropped 10 points in the final frame, including two massive buckets in the last 36 seconds. The first bucket happened when the score was tied 108–108, and Towns muscled his way inside for a go-ahead basket.

On the following possession, OG Anunoby blocked RJ Barrett’s shot, leading to Towns delivering a deep 3-point dagger that pushed New York ahead by five with just six seconds left. As the ball splashed through the net, the usually reserved star let loose, unleashing an expletive-laced roar at the Toronto crowd.

“I remember telling my pops about it, hitting the game winner in Toronto,” Towns said. “Looking at the crowd, said some explicit stuff to everyone sitting courtside […] I wanted to keep my money so I didn’t say too much but I thought that was my moment to be able to have the moment with New York and everything.”

That moment also led to KAT going viral on social media as fans reshared the clip of him looking at the courtside camera and pointing at the New York logo on his jersey following the game-winner. For Towns, who was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Knicks before the season, that shot was validation that he belonged in New York, and fans welcomed him with open arms as he exuded the raucous Big Apple energy that is expected from anyone who dons a Knicks jersey.

From that point, Towns went on to have arguably the best year of his career, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds while leading New York on a deep playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals.