New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns had some sharp words for ESPN over reports that he underwent knee and finger procedures after the team’s playoff run ended.
Towns on Tuesday was asked about a June report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, which stated that the center underwent procedures on both his left knee and one of his fingers after injuring them in the playoffs. Towns appeared baffled by the line of questioning, and denied that any of that had ever happened.
“No, I did not have a knee — where are you hearing this?” Towns asked. “Who did that, Centel?”
“Who did that, Centel?” 🤣
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) September 23, 2025
According to Karl-Anthony Town, don’t believe any offseason procedure rumors. pic.twitter.com/HbGwge0GkC
Towns is referencing NBA Centel, a popular parody account on X known for sharing misinformation about league matters. It has successfully duped legitimate broadcasters on more than one occasion.
In this instance, it is hard to know what to make of Towns’ denial. The report about his knee came from a legitimate source with a non-Centel organization. Perhaps Towns was thrown by the reporter asking him about a surgery, when the actual report only described the treatment as a “procedure.” That would probably be nitpicking, but Towns might be doing just that.
Towns averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game for the Knicks last year in his first season with the team. Despite the speculation about his knee, he is clearly fully healthy entering training camp.
