Thursday night was an evening marked on the calendars of plenty of Minnesota Timberwolves fans since the end of September. It was of course the night Karl-Anthony Towns was set to return to Minnesota, and make his first public appearance at Target Center since the massive trade for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo went down.
Playing against the Timberwolves for the first time as a member of the New York Knicks, Towns arrived in the Twin Cities ready for the matchup, but also ready for those inevitable sentimental moments from being back in the city that he loved so much. At pregame shootaround on Thursday afternoon, KAT was open and honest in sharing how much he still keeps up with the Wolves, which no doubt sent plenty of fans into an emotional frenzy.
As tipoff got closer, everyone was prepared for the Timberwolves to present their tribute video for Towns before the start of the game. When the video was shown to the Target Center crowd, a simultaneous "KAT cam" was used to show his reaction. It is safe to say that the highly-anticipated moment lived up to the hype.
Not sure what’s more beautiful…
— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) December 20, 2024
This KAT tribute video?
The look on his face?
The reaction from the fans?
Pure class all around. #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/ElTXGnVPm0
KAT's Timberwolves tribute video was near-perfect
The video itself showcased some of KAT's greatest career moments, from his Rookie of The Year season all the way up to his ninth and final season with the franchise where he helped guide the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals. Specific highlights included his 60-point game against the San Antonio Spurs in 2022, his victory at the All-Star weekend three-point shooting contest, his comeback from injury against the Atlanta Hawks in 2023, and so many more.
All throughout the video, there are various moments where KAT can barely contain his gratitude for his time with the organization, and the wonderful memories made with his teammates. It was truly a touching moment for the Timberwolves legend. At the conclusion of the video, PA announcer Jedidiah Jones implored Wolves fans to give a round of applause for Towns with a great intro. "The post with the most, the seven-foot Kentucky Wildcat, number 32, Karl-Anthony Towns!"
It was truly a special moment, and one well-deserved for one of the greatest players in Timberwolves history. KAT was greeted with a roar of cheers from the Minnesota crowd, and not even just in this moment. He was being applauded long before starting lineups, getting rounds of applause when he took the floor for pregame warmups as well. This was close to the most perfect return to Target Center one could could have imagined for KAT.