As Linsanity took over the NBA, Karl-Anthony Towns was as big a fan as anyone.
When asked Friday about his Knicks fandom growing up, Towns gushed about Jeremy Lin.
Karl-Anthony Towns has helped the Knicks reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post“I truly want to give a shoutout to Jeremy Lin because he really made me a Knicks fan and had me at Modell’s,” Towns said. “It was crazy trying to find his jersey. I have so much love for Jeremy Lin, he’s one of my favorite Knicks of all time, one of my favorite players of all time. He made me so passionate about the Knicks. It’s crazy now that I’m in this position, in this chair, talking to you guys as a Knicks player. [They] showed me the other day Jeremy Lin on social [media], for him to even mention me was kind of crazy because the love I have for him and what he’s done for me and my Knicks fandom is second to none.”
Towns was in high school when Linsanity peaked.
Jeremy Lin celebrates with Jared Jeffries after the Knicks’ win over the
Raptors at the Air Canada Centre on Feb. 14, 2012 in Toronto. Getty Images
A New Jersey native, Towns also explained why he chose the Knicks over the Nets.
“My mom, when she immigrated here, she understood the magnitude of Madison Square Garden,” Towns said. “… I grew up, obviously, in Jersey, obviously it was so much easier for me to get New Jersey Nets tickets and see Kenyon Martin, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, but my family has always had such respect and love for the Knicks and my father having ties to the Knicks, it was kind of guaranteed I was going to fall into this world of being a Knicks fan growing up.”
OG Anunoby was injured and did not play in the series, but he has some Finals experience — from when he was with the Raptors in 2019.
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“We were a very close team, and it was a very talented team,” Anunoby said. “I learned a lot from watching a lot of great teammates. It was really a cool experience winning that.”
He also learned a crucial lesson.
“I was younger back then,” Anunoby said, “so I didn’t realize how hard it takes to get back.”
