Karl-Anthony Towns is now part of the New York Knicks roster, but his fan base in Minnesota remains strong.
The center made a return to the Target Center on Thursday, marking his first appearance since his trade that concluded a nine-year stint with the Timberwolves last season. Despite the potential for awkwardness in such situations, Towns received a warm reception from the crowd, showcasing the love he still holds in the hearts of Minnesota fans as the franchise’s second-highest scorer of all time.
The Timberwolves welcomed Towns back with a well-executed 86-second video, and the crowd erupted in cheers as he was reintroduced. The 7-footer couldn’t help but smile at the warm reception.
While the cheers for Towns were loud, the crowd had plenty of jeers for the next introduction: Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who previously coached the Timberwolves for three years with mixed results.
Throughout the game, some fans continued to cheer for Towns, especially applauding his first basket.
The trade that transferred Towns to New York sparked division among fans. The Timberwolves had just come off a successful 56-26 season, reaching their first Western Conference finals since 2004 with Towns playing a significant role. However, the team’s management decided to trade him and Rudy Gobert for improved wing depth in the form of Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a draft pick.
Towns expressed his discontent with the move by only tweeting an ellipsis on the night of the trade. This reaction was surprising given that he had recently signed an extension to stay in Minnesota, which had not even commenced at the time of the trade.
Despite the trade, Towns has had a strong start to the season, averaging 24.8 points and an NBA-leading 13.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.9% from the field and 43.9% from beyond the arc.