A healthy, hungry Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to show up to frustrate the Filipinos when Gilas Pilipinas collides with the Dominican Republic in the opener of the FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on 25 August.
In an interview with ESPN, Towns expressed his determination to go hard and represent the Dominicans with pride and passion.
Donning the Dominican Republic jersey in a stage as big as the World Cup is very special to the 27-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves forward.
He said he will play for the Dominicans to honor his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, who died in April 2020 because of complications from the coronavirus disease.
Her death was such a big loss to Towns, but it pulled him closer to his heritage and vowed to represent her mother’s country whenever he gets the chance.
That’s why in February, he paid very close attention to the FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifier where the Dominican Republic stormed back from a 17-point deficit to shock powerhouse Argentina and book a ticket to Manila.
Argentina was being coached by Pablo Prigioni, who is one of Towns’ coaches at the Timberwolves, so the victory was truly special.
Now, Towns is ready to fly to Manila and dominate the pool play in which the Dominicans are bracketed with the Philippines, Angola and Italy.
“There’s a lot of passion and pride in the Dominican for our national teams,” Towns said in an interview with Brian Windhorst.
“You see it in the World Baseball Classic. I’ve definitely felt it this summer.”
Towns admitted that he had to settle a lot of issues – inside and outside the basketball court – before he could play in the World Cup.
The timing, however, is perfect as he is in great shape after recovering from the calf injury that prompted him to miss 51 games in the previous National Basketball Association season.
“There was a lot that went into the decision,” said Towns, who already joined the Dominicans in their World Cup preparation in Spain where they will face the Spanish and Canadian squads in a pair of friendlies in Granada.
“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 percent 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.”
Aside from Towns, other Timberwolves who will see action in the World Cup are Anthony Edwards of the United States, Kyle Anderson of China, Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Canada and Rudy Gobert of France.
“The (Wolves were) very supportive when I came to them to talk about playing,” Towns, who will banner the Dominicans following the absence of NBA players Chris Duarte and Al Horford, said.
“There’s a lot of commitment to get better this season, and for all of us this will be a head start.”
