Today, we flashback to All-Star 2016 in Toronto.
On All-Star Saturday night, Karl-Anthony Towns made All-Star history, becoming
the first big man to win the Skills Competition.
It was the first year in which the NBA made it big men vs. guards competition.
First, Towns took down Draymond Green and then DeMarcus Cousins.
His final matchup came against speedy point guard Isaiah Thomas of the Boston
Celtics. Both players were neck-and-neck after both hitting the first pass. The
two went in the air at the same time and Thomas was able to make the layup
first, but Towns actually beat Thomas down to the 3-point line. Towns missed his
first 3-pointer, but after back and forth misses, he was able to nail the
fourth, clinching his first All-Star trophy and the first Skills Competition
trophy for big men everywhere.
“This is a moment that hopefully the NBA can cherish for a long time to see the
transition of guards and bigs only having to be on the post, but also can be
outside dribbling the ball, dribble up the court and shoot threes,” Towns said
after. “So I think this moment was much bigger than myself, but it shows that
bigs are translating into a new facet of their games.”
Towns will be representing the Wolves again this weekend in Charlotte as he
makes his second All-Star Game appearance. Rookie Josh Okogie will be
participating in the Rising Stars game on Friday night. You can find more info
on All-Star Weekend here.
Player: Karl-Anthony Towns
Media Content:
https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/toyota-throwback-thursday-towns-wins-skills
-competition
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns,
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Story Link:
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-competition
