Towns represents the Dominican Republic.
Carl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves had an interview with ESPN on the 15th (Korean time). Towns explained the background of joining the Dominican Republic national team at this meeting.
Towns said, “I have passion and pride as the Dominican Republic’s national team. Everyone saw it at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). I definitely felt it this summer.”메이저놀이터
Towns entered the NBA with the 1st overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Since his debut season, he has been the starting pitcher, averaging 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 34.1% 3-point shooting percentage, becoming the rookie of the year.
Even after that, he was reborn as a big man who can always raise 20 points and 10 rebounds with solid physical condition and accurate 3-point shooting.
A star player like Towns often takes a break during the off-season. However, Towns opted for his Dominican Republic uniform. The reason was his affection for his mother from the Dominican Republic, who passed away in 2020 from complications of COVID-19.
“With her mother passing away, she felt a kind of urgency to represent the Dominican Republic,” Towns explained.
Towns’ condition was also important. He only made 29 appearances last season due to injury. In the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, Towns played in five games due to an injury and averaged 18.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and a 3-point success rate of only 25.0%.
“I wasn’t 100 per cent when I came back from injury,” Towns said.
But now it’s different.
“I didn’t overdo it with injuries last season,” Towns said.
He continued, “There is something I learned from watching FIBA-sponsored games over the years. On the court, anything is possible. The atmosphere is completely different. I want to play with pride and give my team a chance.”