Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Karl-Anthony Towns

How Karl-Anthony Towns built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Karl-Anthony Towns Jr., or KAT, is a Dominican-American professional basketball player currently playing for the New York Knicks in the NBA. Prior to his NBA career, he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. Towns was selected first overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has also represented the Dominican Republic on their national team since the age of 16.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2011: Finished third at the FIBA Americas Championship

In 2011, Karl-Anthony Towns, at age 16, played on the Dominican Republic national basketball team, coached by John Calipari, and they finished in third place at the FIBA Americas Championship.

December 2012: Committed to play for Kentucky Wildcats

In December 2012, Karl-Anthony Towns announced he would reclassify as a senior and play for the Kentucky Wildcats under Coach Calipari.

2012: Towns debuted for Dominican Republic national team

In 2012, Karl-Anthony Towns debuted for his country, Dominican Republic, at the Centrobasket, when he was age 16.

2012: Won State Championship

In 2012, as a freshman at St. Joseph High School, Karl-Anthony Towns led the basketball team to a state championship.

January 6, 2013: Recorded first quadruple-double

On January 6, 2013, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a quadruple-double with 16 points, 17 rebounds, 11 blocks, and 11 assists.

2013: Won State Championship

In 2013, Karl-Anthony Towns led his team to win another state title.

January 5, 2014: Recorded second quadruple-double

On January 5, 2014, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his second quadruple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 12 blocks, and 10 assists.

2014: Won State Championship

In 2014, Karl-Anthony Towns led his team to win another state title.

2014: Played first year at Kentucky

In 2014, Karl-Anthony Towns played his freshman year at Kentucky, averaging 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game due to the "platoon system".

April 9, 2015: Declared for the NBA draft

On April 9, 2015, Karl-Anthony Towns, along with fellow Kentucky teammates, declared for the 2015 NBA draft.

June 25, 2015: Drafted first overall by Timberwolves

On June 25, 2015, Karl-Anthony Towns was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.

2015: Played all games for the Timberwolves

In 2015, Karl-Anthony Towns played and started in all 82 games for the Timberwolves, averaging 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

2015: Towns drafted first overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves

In 2015, Karl-Anthony Towns was selected as the first overall pick in the NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

January 20, 2016: Season-best game against Dallas Mavericks

On January 20, 2016, Karl-Anthony Towns had a season-best game with 27 points, 17 rebounds, and six blocks in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

November 30, 2016: Career-high 47 points against Knicks

On November 30, 2016, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a then career-high 47 points and 18 rebounds in a loss to the New York Knicks.

March 8, 2017: Scored 29 points and 14 rebounds against Clippers

On March 8, 2017, Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and 14 rebounds in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, marking his 100th career double-double.

April 11, 2017: Set Franchise Record for Points in a Season

On April 11, 2017, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, surpassing Kevin Love for the franchise record for points in a season.

November 15, 2017: Ended losing streak to Spurs

On November 15, 2017, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 16 rebounds, helping the Timberwolves end a 12-game losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs.

December 14, 2017: Joined Kevin Garnett in Timberwolves Record

On December 14, 2017, Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks against the Sacramento Kings, joining Kevin Garnett as the only Timberwolves players with those stats in a single game.

December 31, 2017: Career high-tying six blocks against Pacers

On December 31, 2017, Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and a career high-tying six blocks in a win over the Indiana Pacers.

January 5, 2018: Career-high 23 rebounds against Celtics

On January 5, 2018, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 25 points and a then career-high 23 rebounds in a loss to the Boston Celtics.

January 23, 2018: Named Western Conference All-Star Reserve

On January 23, 2018, Karl-Anthony Towns was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve.

March 20, 2018: NBA-best 60th Double-Double

On March 20, 2018, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his NBA-best 60th double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

March 28, 2018: Franchise-record 56 points against Hawks

On March 28, 2018, Karl-Anthony Towns scored a franchise-record 56 points and added 15 rebounds, marking his league-leading 63rd double-double, as the Timberwolves beat the Atlanta Hawks.

April 11, 2018: Clinched playoff spot for Timberwolves

On April 11, 2018, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Timberwolves clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2004 with a win over the Denver Nuggets.

September 23, 2018: Towns signed a super-maximum extension with the Timberwolves

On September 23, 2018, Karl-Anthony Towns signed a five-year, $158 million super-maximum extension with the Timberwolves.

January 12, 2019: Towns recorded a career-high 27 rebounds

On January 12, 2019, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 27 points and a career-high 27 rebounds in a 110–106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

October 23, 2019: Towns performance vs the Brooklyn Nets

On October 23, 2019, in the first game of Minnesota's season, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 36 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked 3 shots, and recorded 3 steals in a 127–126 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

December 27, 2020: Towns joins Hall-of-Famers

On December 27, 2020, Karl-Anthony Towns joined Hall-of-Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Elgin Baylor and David Robinson as the only players in NBA history to accumulate over 8,000 points, 4,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in 360 games or less.

January 9, 2022: Towns Scored a Season-High 40 Points

On January 9, 2022, Karl-Anthony Towns scored a then season-high 40 points, along with nine rebounds and seven assists, in a 141–123 victory over the Houston Rockets.

July 7, 2022: Towns signed a four-year contract extension

On July 7, 2022, Karl-Anthony Towns signed a four-year, $224 million contract extension.

2022: Won NBA Three-Point Contest

In 2022, Karl-Anthony Towns became the first center to win the NBA Three-Point Contest.

July 2023: Towns Confirmed to Play in 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

In July 2023, Karl-Anthony Towns confirmed his presence to play for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

November 18, 2023: Towns performance against the New Orleans Pelicans

On November 18, 2023, Karl-Anthony Towns put up 29 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field along with six rebounds, nine assists, two blocks, and a game-winning lay-up in a 121–120 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

January 22, 2024: Towns Sets Career-High and Franchise Record with 62 Points

On January 22, 2024, Karl-Anthony Towns scored a career-high and Timberwolves franchise-record 62 points, with 44 of those coming in the first half, in a 128–125 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. His 44 points set a record for the most points scored in a half in Timberwolves franchise history.

October 2, 2024: Towns traded to New York Knicks

On October 2, 2024, Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team trade with the Charlotte Hornets.

2024: Towns Receives Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award

In 2024, Karl-Anthony Towns received the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award from the NBA for his social justice work, including advocating for voting rights and producing a documentary about the justice system.

2024: Led Timberwolves to Western Conference Finals

In 2024, Towns led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, marking their first appearance in 20 years.

November 3, 2025: Towns Reaches Milestone

On November 3, 2025, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 33 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in a 119–102 win over the Washington Wizards. He became only the 6th player in NBA history to reach 15,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, and 2,000 assists before the age of 30.