Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns couldn’t lead the Dominican Republic to the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but said goodbye in emotional fashion following a 112-79 defeat to Serbia on Sunday morning.
Speaking to reporters after the loss, Towns reflected on the last time he played for the Dominican Republic during the FIBA Americas Championship as a 17-year-old in 2013, and said this experience reminded him of how much fun it was to play for his country.
“It was a different situation for me,” Towns said. “I was a bench player. I got no minutes but I was always cheering so hard because I had so much pride in putting this jersey on in warmups because I never really got to see my jersey. This was a different situation because you never know what it entails. You never know how it was going to go.”
What the media won’t show you of KAT pic.twitter.com/MI0NaW1Mny
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Towns was a much bigger part of the team this time around as he averaged 24.4 points, eight rebounds and 1.6 assists in five games during the tournament but his appearance was also a way to honor his late mother Jacqueline.
Towns initially had the chance to play for the United States National Team during the 2012 London Games but turned it down partly due to his mother, who was a native of the Dominican Republic.
“It was really special to me,” Towns told Marc Spears of The Undefeated in 2017. “It was a chance to represent my mother and a big part of my family. It was an amazing experience. I was very excited. When an opportunity like this presents itself, it’s hard to say no.”
Towns said later in the interview that he wanted to do everything he could to take the Dominican Republic to the next level and the Olympics, which is why he decided to play in the World Cup. But it also reminded Towns of his mother.
“I’m just so blessed and honored that my mother gave birth to me and gave me a bloodline and culture that can’t be beat,” Towns said. “To be able to put this crest and this name on my chest, it meant the world to me as a basketball player but more as a son.”
Jacqueline Towns died after contracting COVID-19 in April 2020 and the World Cup marked the first international competition Towns has played in since her death. While Towns was honored to play for his country, he also knew that his mother was watching him.
“I love my mother to death,” Towns said. “I’m just happy I got a chance to give her the best seat in the house playing for her country.”
While the Dominican Republic didn’t go as Towns hoped, he believes the ability to honor his mother made the experience worth it.
“I’m blessed,” Towns said. “I keep my head up. This hurts obviously as you see but the Dominican Republic means the world to me.”
