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NBA DRAFTJune 25, 2015Karl-Anthony TownsBROOKLYN, NEW YORK KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: I can't just say‑‑ I'm just so blessed to be in this position, to be able to give back to my parents and be able to show them all the hard work and determination and sacrifices that they gave to me is coming true. And it's just amazing to think that just two years ago I was in high school and they're watching me in the stands and now they're going to be watching me in one of the greatest facilities on the planet right now. Q. Tell me about your draft outfit. KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: You know, for me, I just‑‑ this outfit really was special to me. It just was me and my stylist came up with a great idea and I really wanted to go with it, including my sister's ideas. Adrian really helped me, a designer for this, really helped me a lot. My stylist was telling me the story about how it's eight meters of fabric that has only been in the world, and this suit is two and a half of it. So he's really blessed me with a one of a kind suit for this special day in my life, and I really can't thank him enough. Q. How many of your folks ended up being here, friends and family? Do you know the final count, and what did mom and dad say there at the table when it was official? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: They just really for me‑‑ I think my number is close to 50. I mean, I'm home. This is home to me. I've been able to come here, have my‑‑ mostly all my closest friends, loved ones, family, come out here and realize one of the most special moments of my life. My mom and dad, they were just so excited. My sister started crying immediately. My mom started crying. My dad was just very ecstatic. All those times me and him were in the gym, and you see the end result. Q. You've always had a deep appreciation and respect for the history of the NBA. Tell me about your feelings about following in the footsteps of Magic Johnson and LeBron James as the first overall pick and joining the Minnesota Timberwolves who have the greatest player in the franchise on their team right now, Kevin Garnett. KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: It just means the world to me. It means the world to me to play with an organization that is‑‑ especially for me, my Dominican roots storied, with Felipe Lopez playing for them. It just really is a great moment for me to keep the roots going in Minnesota and be able to just continue my legacy and just try and win more championships. Q. You're stepping onto an even bigger platform and stage now off the court. What do you hope to achieve? What kind of example do you hope to set for all the kids looking up to you across the country? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: For me, I'm just blessed to be in this opportunity to just show that a boy from Piscataway, New Jersey, and Dominican Republic can make it. I'm blessed to be in this situation, to be in this seat talking to all of you. It just means the world that I'm going to be able to show kids around the world that with a little hard work, determination, a little bit of luck and some guidance, you can really make it far in this world. Q. You said that you weren't given a promise but you worked out for one team. When did you find out that Minnesota was taking you? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: When I saw a man come out and walk out to a podium and say my name. (Laughter). When Mr.Adam Silver came out, I saw him, and he said, with the No.1 pick, I was racing. I told Coach Cal before when he first came out that I was trying to drink the water and I was shaking uncontrollably, and I told him, Coach, don't give me the ball right now for the last‑second shot. I wouldn't make it. And I just found out when he went up there and he said it. I was just shocked and just extremely happy that I was able to give my parents something that they can remember for the rest of their lives. Q. You said you didn't know until just to night, but what kind of feeling did you come away with when Flip came out and watched you in LA a couple weeks ago and then your visit over the weekend? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: I mean, I thought they liked me, but I didn't know anything that it was going to be a done deal. Everything that I just did, they gave me no consensus, they just mostly had me fly out to go see the facility. You have no idea. You have absolutely no idea, and then I think you're talking about the NBA, it's the greatest cover‑ups ever when you're talking about who they're picking. They keep their cards really close to their chest. I really had no idea, I just knew that I had faith that if I continued to work, I could possibly be in a position to be a top pick, but if I was to even fall to the 60th pick, I was going to be happy with trying to be in the greatest fraternity in the world, and that's the NBA. Q. You're about to join a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in 11 years, and you're known for your postseason history in high school and this past season. How big is it going to be to try and break that drought? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: It's going to be very important to me. That's going to be the main goal of the season for me, making the playoffs. That's always going to be the main goal for me. I mean, like you said, you know me from high school; we try to do our best work in the postseason. We're going to work real hard right now in the summer, get everything straight, and we're going to make sure that we go into the season with the best possible team, with the best mindset and go out there and try to win and make it to the playoffs. Q. You've done a lot of these interviews. I'm sure you've talked about them a lot, as well. One you did with the NBA, NBATV with D'Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor. Tell me what it's been like to meet and greet obviously your competitors on the court, hopefully friends off it but soon to be competitors again. What have you taken from those interactions? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: I mean, it's just humility. Before we're basketball players, we're humans, and we've got to respect each other, and we do that. I think the greatest thing is the AAU has allowed us at an early age to really build better friendships with each other than before, and it allows us to build these friendships and let them to maturate over time. That's why I think all of us, as you see, are really good friends off the court is because we know each other, and we've seen each other grow up, get stronger, bigger, quicker, better at the game of basketball, and we just respect each other tremendously. Q. With seemingly probably everyone in this room presuming you were going to be the No.1 pick and you were the consensus No.1 pick, how did you put yourself in a mindset where you didn't take that for granted? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: You know what, when you've had the struggles like I've had in life, I just go by life, day by day, minute by minute, second by second, and I just enjoy every minute and second I'm on this earth. That's how I do it. I just went in the gym every day acting as if I was undrafted and I needed to work myself into the league. That's how I'm going to continue to work. I'm going to continue working as if‑‑ right now I'm just trying to get back to the league, and I'm going to continue working very hard so I can give my team the best version of myself. Q. You're certainly going to be well compensated after tonight, but don't you wish you could have had the right to negotiate with all 30 employers like most Americans had instead of having a draft where you can only negotiate with one employer, if you had your druthers? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: That's the thing; sometimes in life, life is not fair. Life has just never been fair from the get. You know, I'm just happy with any card I was given today, whether it be from 2 to a jack. I was going to be happy regardless. I'm just happy that today is a day I can remember the rest of my life. I'm just happy to have this moment to enjoy not only with my new future organization but with my family. Q. Is your stylist going to get you a nice winter coat up there? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS: I'm not worried. With the way she got this suit done, I'm not worried about a winter coat. Q. I wonder if you've talked to Anthony Davis or any of the other guys that were the first overall pick, and what sort of onus do you think goes with that, being the first guy? KARL‑ANTHONY TOWNS:  No, actually I haven't been able to talk to them. I haven't been able to talk to them. I've really just‑‑ I haven't been able to talk to anybody from previous years who have been the No.1 pick at the University of Kentucky, but I know the one thing I have to do is I have to live up to the expectations and goals and lofty expectations, again, that people are going to have for me for being the No.1 pick. But through my life, there's always been expectations and goals set against me, and I've just always had to meet them and oversee them and also jump over the goals and the hurdles. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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