BBNBA Playoffs: Karl-Anthony Towns is an NBA Champion

I will never hurt more than I did the night Kentucky lost to Wisconsin in the 2015 Final Four. Never. If I get the most painful version of cancer tomorrow that requires surgery with no anesthetic, I’d think, “Well, this is the second worst experience of my life.” Part of why I rank the Wisconsin loss as more gut-wrenching than any of the other hurtful Kentucky losses of my lifetime was my admiration for that 2015 team. Namely, Karl-Anthony Towns.

In a basketball world that measures how much “dog” players have in them, it is hard for me not to like the dude who commiserated with an imaginary friend named Karlito who sat on his shoulder, and still got drafted No. 1 overall. Now, after falling short of a title in college, Karl-Anthony Towns gets to hoist a championship trophy in the NBA.

Of course, it doesn’t make up for that Saturday night in Indianapolis back in 2015. Nothing will. But watching the career progression of a kid doing air shots with Drew Franklin in the Bahamas to being the top pick in the draft, to getting bullied by Jimmy Butler, to earning an NBA All-Star bid and being the first center to win the 3-point contest, to getting traded out of Minneapolis for Julius Randle of all people, to being mocked by his own fans for being ‘zesty,’ to now bringing an NBA championship to his basketball-crazed hometown. No one has had a career arc like Karl-Anthony Towns.

The second post I ever wrote on Kentucky Sports Radio was about Towns’ “heel turn” in 2022, during a period where he was trying to (unsuccessfully) reinvent himself as a tough guy. Since then, he has relaxed, just been himself, and he will now forever be a legend in New York City. I couldn’t be happier for that guy.

Knicks in 5

Oh, yeah, the game. If you didn’t watch Game 5, don’t worry, you’ve seen the script before. The Knicks got down big early, only to battle back to make it close. The Spurs, in turn, fought back to extend the lead, but ultimately collapsed down the stretch. The Knicks made plays in the final minutes while the Spurs faltered, resulting in a victory for New York.

This template has been true in every single one of the Knicks’ victories in the NBA Finals, aside from the one they lost. In all five games, the Knicks have trailed by double-digits in the 4th quarter. They already broke the record for the largest comeback (29 points) in an NBA Final, but that 4th quarter stat will never be beaten.

Missed free throws. Wretched blockouts. Bad shot selection. The Spurs did everything they could to cough up the lead late in the game, and it happened. Again. They just didn’t seem to have that Mortal Kombat-style “Finish Him” instinct as the Knicks did. They’re young, though. Dylan Harper is legit, although he did miss two free throws after getting fouled in the closing seconds with the Knicks up three. After that, it was over. The Knicks prevailed by a final score of 94-90, spawning a celebration like no other in America’s largest town, including a massive street of thousands of people singing Empire State of Mind in unison. Yeah, you know I bleed blue, but I ain’t a Crip, though.

EVERYONE IN NYC IS SINGING EMPIRE STATE OF MIND https://t.co/theerk3Y6r

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 14, 2026

Spurs’ Kentucky stars all had modest nights

Keldon Johnson and De’Aaron Fox each had a mere seven points, but while Johnson contributed his buckets off the bench in limited minutes, Fox shot just 3-15 from the field and played 37 minutes. Fans have been rough on Fox this series. Between playing through an injury and looking over his shoulder at the up-and-coming star point guard in Harper, Swipa was off most of the series. Groans will undoubtedly grow louder as his max-contract extension kicks in next season. He will make between $50 million and $60 million each year for the next four years. It is doubtful, but if he does hit the trade market, some team is going to get a winner.

Case in point: Fox made sure to meet up with his Wildcat brother after the game and congratulate him on the win. La familia over everything.

De'Aaron Fox made sure to say congrats to fellow Kentucky Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns 🫂 pic.twitter.com/hwQJ9PeWFU

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 14, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t score much, but who cares

For the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns had one of the worst scoring nights of his career, but it will be the one he remembers the most for the rest of his life because it is the one that made him a world champ. He fouled out with about two minutes left in the game, having scored just two points. He did grab 10 rebounds, and when Jalen Brunson (who had 45 points to secure the Finals MVP award) wasn’t isolating his name one-on-one, the Knicks’ offense ran through the former Kentucky big man.

Somewhere, Karlito is smiling.

After the game, as he has been wont to do this postseason, KAT gave credit to his deceased mother for her heavenly intervention, “Thank you, Mama. I appreciate you getting me one.”

As much as Towns appreciates his mother for her divine influence over the basketball gods, the city of New York will forever appreciate him. Just like KAT will never have to buy a shot in Lexington (air or otherwise), he’ll never have to buy a bagel in New York City ever again. His name will go down in Big Apple lore just like it has in Big Blue Nation. In 50 years, the next time the Knicks are in the Finals, it will be Karl-Anthony Towns sitting courtside, cheering on New York alongside Spike Lee’s great-grandkids.

Nobody deserves it more. Go KAT. Go ‘Cats.