Karl-Anthony Towns with his family at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony along with UK coach Mark Pope and his wife. (UK Athletics Photo)
I still remember the first time I interviewed Karl-Anthony Towns when he was in high school after he verbally committed to play basketball at Kentucky for coach John Calipari and I truly thought if basketball didn’t work out that he might eventually be president of the United States.
He was so well-spoken and so mature at his young age. He was personable and charming. However, he was also very good at basketball and now he is NBA star with a mega contract.
Towns was part of UK’s magical 38-0 start in the 2014-15 season before the Cats lost to Wisconsin in the Final Four. He averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game for a team that had seven future NBA draft picks.
Now he’s a Kentucky Hall of Famer after being inducted last weekend when he was as gracious as ever by insisting it was his team — and all his teammates — who really made the UK Hall of Fame.
“This is me just representing my whole team, the coaching staff that was with me and all the amazing fans that supported us. For us to make the Hall of Fame is really important and I think that it just speaks volumes to the legacy we were all able to leave here as a team,” Towns said.
It also speaks volumes to his humility and team-first attitude which has never changed.
It was no surprise to see Calipari and former UK assistant coach Kenny Payne back in Lexington to celebrate with Towns after his induction. It was no surprise to see Calipari’s wife, Ellen, at the induction ceremony because he credited her for being a second mother, especially after his own mom’s passing during the COVID pandemic.
Towns made sure to check on UK coach Mark Pope’s team before his Hall of Fame ceremony.
“Coach Pope is amazing. I got to know him on a personal level, and obviously as a coach he’s one of a kind, he’s one of the best,” Towns said. “I think Kentucky is in for a lot of years of really great coaching and great leadership.
“I think that with coach Pope, again we’ll be seeing not only great players come to Kentucky and Lexington, but we’ll see these players leave Lexington and become men. That’s the most important thing. You come to university and parents trust coach Pope and the coaching staff to raise their boys. I think he’s doing a great job raising boys.”
Towns told the current UK plays to “be in the present” and appreciate what they have at Kentucky.
“I think we all know in this circle, let’s not kid ourselves, when you’ve got Kentucky across your chest and you’re playing for the basketball team, you’re the rock stars of Lexington. You’re the most famous athletes and people in all of Lexington,” Towns said.
“My advice to them was just try to make everyone proud (and) show everyone what it truly means to be a Kentucky Wildcat. Treat everyone with respect, have tremendous amounts of humility and appreciate this moment. I just wanted them to understand that it is one of the biggest honors you’ll receive in life, to be able to call yourself a Wildcat.
“I want them to stay in the present. Don’t worry about the future. Don’t worry about possibly going to the NBA and money and all that stuff. I just want them to live in the present and enjoy this moment. You may never be in another room with that much talent ever again.”
