“Told him my name was Karl”: Karl-Anthony Towns hilariously narrates his first interaction with new co-star Jalen Brunson
Newly minted New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns shared a humorous story about his first meeting with new teammate Jalen Brunson. Despite competing in the league together since 2018, Towns joked that he had to start from scratch.
Towns joined the Knicks through a three-team trade that sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Keita Bates-Diop to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and brought Charlie Brown, DaQuan Jeffries, and Duane Washington Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets. The Knicks also received the draft rights to James Nnaji in the deal.
Recalling his first time meeting his Knicks teammates, Karl-Anthony Towns humorously explained how he introduced himself.
"The first thing I did, I walked up to Jalen and I introduced myself, told him my name was Karl," Towns said.
“I know it was a struggle for him, so I just wanted to let him know who I was and introduce myself as KAT. So it was fun.”
Adding Towns strengthens the Knicks' frontcourt, especially given Mitchell Robinson's injury history and Isaiah Hartenstein’s move to the OKC Thunder.
Before the Towns trade, ESPN BET projected the Knicks to win 53.5 games this season. Last year, they finished 50-32, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Karl-Anthony Towns aims for the Knicks to be ‘the best versions’ of themselves
The Knicks completed an active offseason by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns, along with trading for Mikal Bridges and locking in long-term deals for OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson.
They also brought in Chuma Okeke and Cameron Payne and extended coach Tom Thibodeau's contract, paying him $10 million annually after he led the Knicks to the playoffs in three of his first four seasons.
Towns, who had spent his entire career in Minnesota before the trade, outlined his expectations for the Knicks this season.
“So we got great players and we continue to put the work in day in, day out. We can be the best versions of ourselves, we can be every single day. We do a lot of things,” Towns said.
“I mean, we just continue to work hard every single day. Never take one practice for granted and just try to, every night, go out there and be the best version of ourselves.”
Last season, Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.6% from 3-point range. The Timberwolves eliminated the Denver Nuggets and reached the Western Conference finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks.
Meanwhile, the Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals but were plagued by injuries, eventually falling to the Indiana Pacers in seven games.