Karl-Anthony Towns on playing for Dominican Republic again: 'The timing is right'
Towns hadn’t played for the Dominican Republic national team in 10 years, dating to when he was 16 and his future college coach at Kentucky, John Calipari, was in charge of the team. This summer, dozens of the world’s top players elected to skip the tournament to recover from injuries, rest or simply opt for next summer’s Olympics in Paris instead. This made Towns’ inclusion significant news. “There was a lot that went into the decision,” Towns said. “The timing is right. I didn’t put as much stress on my body this last season because of the injury. I’m feeling great now, I’m 100% and feeling like myself again. It’s a perfect time to work on some things in my game. And with my mom’s passing, I felt an urgency to do it.”
Source: Brian Windhorst @ ESPN
Source: Brian Windhorst @ ESPN
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Ball Don’t Lie @Balldontlie
Karl-Anthony Towns had a hype man welcome him at his first practice with the Dominican Republic national team 🕺🏼
(via @RDBSeleccion)
pic.twitter.com/jxo5KaLhdF – 11:20 AM
Karl-Anthony Towns had a hype man welcome him at his first practice with the Dominican Republic national team 🕺🏼
(via @RDBSeleccion)
pic.twitter.com/jxo5KaLhdF – 11:20 AM
BasketNews @BasketNews_com
🇩🇴 Dominican Respublic threw a whole
presentation for Karl-Anthony Towns on his first training 🔊 #FIBAWC #WinForAll
pic.twitter.com/jJofdIZlgm – 10:33 AM
🇩🇴 Dominican Respublic threw a whole
presentation for Karl-Anthony Towns on his first training 🔊 #FIBAWC #WinForAll
pic.twitter.com/jJofdIZlgm – 10:33 AM
Brian Windhorst @WindhorstESPN
While many stars are skipping this summer’s World Cup, Karl-Anthony Towns is playing for the Dominican Republic for the first time since he was 16. He explains why: espn.com/olympics/baske… – 10:26 AM
While many stars are skipping this summer’s World Cup, Karl-Anthony Towns is playing for the Dominican Republic for the first time since he was 16. He explains why: espn.com/olympics/baske… – 10:26 AM
More on this storyline
BasketNews: 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic threw a whole presentation for Karl-Anthony Towns on his first training 🔊 #FIBAWC #WinForAll -via Twitter @BasketNews_com / August 14, 2023
The three-time NBA All-Star says he hasn’t had any regrets about playing for his national team and is backing that up with his commitment this summer. He hopes this summer’s experience can help the Dominicans and carry over to the Timberwolves. “One thing I’ve learned playing and watching FIBA games over the years is that anything is possible in these games. It’s a different atmosphere and you see crazy things,” he said. “I just want to have some pride and give our team a chance.” -via ESPN / August 14, 2023
The team will see Karl-Anthony Towns back in the fold after missing 51 games with his right calf injury this past season. A lot of reservations have been brought up about Towns’ fit with Gobert, but Edwards doesn’t seem too worried. “I think if we get KAT for a whole season, we’ll be alright.” -via HoopsHype / August 12, 2023