Karl-Anthony Towns calls Anthony Edwards after winning NBA title
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after the victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas ((Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals Saturday night to win the series 4-1.
For the first time since 1973, the Knicks are NBA champions. That means former Minnesota Timberwolves’ star Karl-Anthony Towns is an NBA champion. Towns just finished his 11th NBA season after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Timberwolves in 2015.
The Timberwolves traded Towns to the Knicks just before the start of the 2024-2025 season in the deal that brought Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota.
KAT calls Ant on FaceTime
The backstory:
Shortly after winning his first NBA title, Towns went to his phone and talked to Edwards on FaceTime. The two remain very close friends after Towns’ departure from Minnesota. The two were teammates on the Timberwolves for four seasons.
Towns thanked the Timberwolves and his former teammates on ESPN’s postgame show, while smoking a victory cigar.
"Huge shoutout to all my teammates I’ve had before coming here. Shoutout to my brother, Anthony Edwards, talking to him all the time," Towns said. "Those guys made me a better leader, a better player, made me the man I am today. I’m forever grateful for them."
Towns averaged 13 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and one block per game during the NBA Finals. Towns fouled out of Game 5 with about five minutes to play. In 23 minutes, he had two points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
What’s next for Timberwolves?
Why you should care:
For the first time in three seasons, the Timberwolves failed to reach the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs.
Edwards was playing on two ailing knees, and DiVincenzo tore his Achilles during the first quarter of Game 4 in the Timberwolves’ series win over the Denver Nuggets. The Timberwolves likely will look to add a primary point guard to play alongside Edwards, and they could be in play to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the price to bring him to Minnesota is probably too steep for Tim Connelly.