Karl-Anthony Towns was once upon a time a Jeremy Lin fanatic just like every other New York Knicks supporter on planet earth.
Lin captivated the Knicks fan base and the basketball-watching world for multiple weeks during his legendary run in February 2012. Towns was apparently one of those rabid fans who wanted nothing more than to rock Lin’s jersey during that time.
Towns spoke candidly to reporters this weekend and gave Lin a special mention.
“I want to give a shoutout to Jeremy Lin,” Towns said. “Because he really made me a Knicks fan and had me at Modell’s, going crazy trying to find his jersey. … I have so much love for Jeremy Lin. He’s one of my favorite Knicks of all time, one of my favorite players of all time. He made me so passionate about the Knicks, and it’s crazy now that I’m in this position, I’m in this chair, talking to y’all as a Knicks player.”
"I want to give a shoutout to Jeremy Lin – he had me at Modell's going crazy trying to find his jersey" 😭
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 29, 2026
KAT shouts out Jeremy Lin and the impact he had on his own Knicks fandom pic.twitter.com/T9U6qd2KzJ
Towns also spoke about watching a clip of Lin on social media, wherein the Taiwanese-American guard picked out a Towns jersey and shared that he’s “a big supporter of KAT.”
“For him to even mention me is kind of crazy, because the love I have for him and what he’s done for me and my Knicks fandom is second to none.”
Towns, who was born and raised in New Jersey, was the star player of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen when Linsanity took over the basketball world. The Minnesota Timberwolves made him the No. 1 overall pick three years later.
The Knicks acquired Towns via trade in 2024 — a move that was polarizing to many Knicks fans at the time. Even Towns himself did not seem happy about the deal. But since then, Knicks fans have embraced KAT, who has completely bought into the team he once cheered for as a kid.
