Before he was a star at Kentucky, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and an NBA All-Star, Karl-Anthony Towns was a multi-sport athlete in New Jersey, playing basketball, baseball, and golf. Last night, Towns — a lifelong New York Yankees fan — got to live out a childhood dream by throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. Because Karl is Karl, it was a strike.
Prior to the game, Karl chatted with Yankees star Aaron Judge, who gave him one of his batting practice bats. He was also spotted talking with Omar Minaya, the former Mets general manager who is now a senior advisor for the Yankees, as proud papa Karl Sr. looked on in his own Yankees jersey.
During batting practice, Karl talked about his Yankees fandom with YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits and said baseball was his first love. That’s in part because his mother Jackie, who was from the Dominican Republic, loved baseball and encouraged him to play as a kid. Eventually, as he said in the interview, life took him down a different path, but his passion for the sport still remains.
"Lifelong Yankee fan, gonna die being a Yankee fan"
The Yankees went on to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5.
Why is this interesting, other than we love Karl? There are rumors about a potential trade between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks for the three-time NBA All-Star. In his eighth season in the league, Karl averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, missing 51 games due to a Grade 3 calf strain. He’s still under contract through the 2027-28 season, but something to keep an eye on, if not this offseason then next.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 23: Minnesota Timberwolves center stands in the New York Yankees dugout before he was to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 23, 2023 in Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY – MAY 23: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talk before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 23, 2023, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY – MAY 23: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talk before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 23, 2023, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 23: Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 23, 2023 in Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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