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Karl-Anthony Towns Reacts to Emotional Timberwolves Tribute Video in Return

The Big KAT was back in Minneapolis on Thursday night.

Tom Dierberger

Towns returned to Target Center on Thursday night for the first time since the Timberwolves-Knicks trade.
Towns returned to Target Center on Thursday night for the first time since the Timberwolves-Knicks trade. / TNT
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The Minnesota Timberwolves honored one of the best players in franchise history on Thursday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns, wearing the unfamiliar New York Knicks blue-and-orange, returned to Target Center for the first time since the Timberwolves traded him away in October.

As is custom in the NBA, Wolves prepared a 90-second tribute video for Towns to give him a warm welcome back to chilly Minneapolis during the Knicks' starting lineup introductions. Towns took it all in from New York's bench, appearing to get a bit emotional as his name was called by the in-arena PA announcer.

The sellout crowd at Target Center gave Towns a rousing standing ovation.

Towns, is rocking bright green shoes on Thursday night, perhaps a nod to the Timberwolves' color scheme.

The 29-year-old spent the first nine seasons of his career in Minnesota after he was selected with the No. 1 pick in 2015. Towns won the 2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year award and went on to earn four All-Star nods in a Timberwolves uniform.

Towns helped Minnesota snap a 14-year playoff drought in 2018, and he was a key cog in the team's run to the Western Conference finals in 2024. He was ready to run it back with Minnesota this season until the Timberwolves traded him to the Knicks in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle.

Towns entered the game averaging 24.8 points and a career-best 13.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per contest this season. His Knicks are 16–10, good for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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