Karl-Anthony Towns leads Dominican Republic over Canada

BasketNews: 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic threw a whole presentation for Karl-Anthony Towns on his first training 🔊 #FIBAWC #WinForAll -via Twitter @BasketNews_com / August 14, 2023

The three-time NBA All-Star says he hasn’t had any regrets about playing for his national team and is backing that up with his commitment this summer. He hopes this summer’s experience can help the Dominicans and carry over to the Timberwolves. “One thing I’ve learned playing and watching FIBA games over the years is that anything is possible in these games. It’s a different atmosphere and you see crazy things,” he said. “I just want to have some pride and give our team a chance.” -via ESPN / August 14, 2023

Towns hadn’t played for the Dominican Republic national team in 10 years, dating to when he was 16 and his future college coach at Kentucky, John Calipari, was in charge of the team. This summer, dozens of the world’s top players elected to skip the tournament to recover from injuries, rest or simply opt for next summer’s Olympics in Paris instead. This made Towns’ inclusion significant news. “There was a lot that went into the decision,” Towns said. “The timing is right. I didn’t put as much stress on my body this last season because of the injury. I’m feeling great now, I’m 100% and feeling like myself again. It’s a perfect time to work on some things in my game. And with my mom’s passing, I felt an urgency to do it.” -via ESPN / August 14, 2023