‘Bodega KAT’ Karl-Anthony Towns lifts Knicks, Dominicans

NEW YORK – More than a million people with roots in the Dominican Republic live in the New York metro area. At least 700,000 of those Dominicans live throughout the five boroughs, a great majority of them in Washington Heights in the Bronx. And almost all of them are cheering for Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns. 

The Knicks’ All-Star center is giving his late mom’s Gente reason to be proud of him and their shared Dominican heritage. They are pulling him to beat the Indiana Pacers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals.

Towns, a New Jersey native, has proudly represented the Dominican Republic in international competition since he was a teen. So it wasn’t a surprise that he paid tribute to his Dominican fans after helping the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference Finals. 

It’s clear that Karl-Anthony Towns is the most skilled and accomplished Dominican to play for the Knicks in franchise history. The 7-footer can score, rebound, pass, and finish at the rim and shoot efficiently from outside.

Following Carmelo Anthony

Towns is the second Latino superstar in Knicks history. Nuyorican Carmelo Anthony was the Knicks’ last Latino superstar. Anthony, who was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this year, played seven seasons for the Knicks after arriving in New York from the Denver Nuggets in 2011. 

The popular Anthony never made it out of the second round in the NBA playoffs, though. Towns, who is in his first season with the Knicks, already has them in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.

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Towns, 29, arrived in New York to help them get over the hump in the playoffs and win a championship. It was a strong move because Towns epitomizes New York. He has a lot of support from fellow Dominicans in Washington Heights, New Jersey and throughout the Tri-State region. 

After clinching the Eastern Conference berth, he dedicated the victory over the Celtics to “all the Dominicans in New York that have just been showing up and showing out,” he said on the postgame show.

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— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) May 17, 2025

He knows his journey to the top was not by himself. Many people supported him and guided him along the way.   

“They sacrificed a ton of their childhood to allow me to work on my game,” he said. “To all of my brothers that were with me at Rucker Park, all the brothers that were with me at all the AAU games in the Tri-State, especially in New York, I dedicate this to them. They prepared me for this moment and to be a Knick.”

Karl-Anthony Towns adjusts to move

Towns was traded to the Knicks from Minnesota, where he spent the first nine years of his career. Towns was initially disappointed to be traded by the team that drafted him first overall in 2015. The Timberwolves are still lurking on the other side of the bracket in the Western Conference Finals. 

However, he got over the disappointment quickly. Towns was ready to handle a new challenge. The move was somewhat of a homecoming because he was born and raised in New Jersey. He rooted for the Knicks throughout his childhood. Towns knows what it means for Dominicans to see him star for the team.

“There’s still more work to do,” Towns told the New York Post. “But it’s sometimes good to take a step back and appreciate where you’re at and where you came from, and also understand where you still have to go.”