Karl-Anthony Towns has been appearing for several interviews after the New York Knicks won the NBA championship after defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 4-1, in the Finals series.
Among those interviews, the five-time NBA All-Star sat down with CBS Mornings, where they showed him a special message for him, from his idol, Magic Johnson.
“I want to congratulate Karl-Anthony Towns and his teammates, the New York Knicks, on winning the NBA World Championship. I’m all the way in Portiono, Italy, enjoying my vacation with my family,” said Johnson in the video message.
“But I had to say, Carl, you dominated the whole playoffs, brother. Your outside shooting ability from the three-point line. You’re putting it on the floor and dime dishing left and right, as well as blocking shots in your defense. You were awesome, man.”
“Your mother is in heaven, smiling down on you. And I saw that hug you and your father. That was awesome, man. May God continue to bless you. You’re going to be beloved forever, brother, in the city of New York. Congratulations, champion.”
Karl-Anthony Towns was in awe listening to his childhood inspiration send him a special message. His response revealed how delighted he was to hear from the NBA legend.
“Man, that’s crazy, wow! Well, first of all, that boat is crazy. But it’s so crazy because I wear the number 32 because of my father and because of Magic Johnson. And I’ve always wanted to play like him.”
“And I feel like this was it’s such an amazing moment where I feel in these playoffs, I was actually able to imitate his game the most, you know, and really be able to play like Magic a lot of the time. And to get my teammates involved while also finding ways to score. And he was all around one of the best players I’ve ever seen.”
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Karl-Anthony Towns did, in fact, dominate throughout the playoffs. So much so that before his foul troubles in Game 5, he was in the race for the Finals MVP award due to his exemplary defense on Victor Wembanyama as well as several other factors.
There were moments of exemplary court-vision from Karl-Anthony Towns that one can now understand is a skill people learned to work on from Magic Johnson.
KAT’s numbers these playoffs 🤯
🔥 15.9 PPG
🔥 10.6 RPG
🔥 4.9 APG
🔥 1.3 SPG
🔥 1.3 BPG
🔥 55.1 FG%
🔥 45.6 3P%
🔥 90.9 FT%
The highest playoff plus-minus (+258) since 1971… Karl-Anthony Towns was SPECIAL this postseason! pic.twitter.com/QZ81YztjxC
— NBA (@NBA) June 16, 2026
He ended the postseason averaging 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting 55.1% from the field and 45.6% from beyond the arc as the Knicks went 16-3 over their 19 games in the playoffs.
Towns has earned Magic Johnson’s respect to a level that he even urged the Knicks to forget about considering any moves for Giannis Antetokounmpo that involve Karl-Anthony Towns or any of the team’s core players heading to the Bucks.
It must feel surreal for your childhood inspiration to support you and have your back like this.
