Karl-Anthony Towns says 'timing is right' to represent Dominican Republic in FIBA World Cup

The Federacion Dominicana de Baloncesto (FEBOMBAL) included Karl-Anthony Towns in its 30-man preliminary roster for the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup back on July 27. It marks the first time in 10 years he will represent the Dominican Republic on its national team.

Towns was on his native country’s roster in 2013 during the FIBA AmeriCup. Before that, he played for John Calipari in 2012 during the Olympic Qualifiers and got his start with the D.R. in the 2011 Centrobasket U17 Championship. Since then, his focus has been on playing college basketball for Kentucky and in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors with the former and has gone on to be a three-time All-Star with the latter.

But now, he feels it’s time to get back to his roots as a Dominican-American in the World Cup.

“I’m so proud to be saying I’ll be suiting up soon and representing my roots in the Dominican Republic again. It’s always been bigger than the game,” Towns previously announced. “Representing my mother’s country, my country (of) the Dominican Republic, I can’t wait to go suit up again and put that jersey on and play some amazing FIBA World Cup basketball. I’ll see you all on the court, see you in the Philippines.”

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A post shared by Karl-Anthony Towns (@karltowns)

“The timing is right.”

Why now? His mother Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who passed away in 2020 because of complications from COVID-19, was born in the Dominican Republic. The opportunity to represent her and the family’s home country on the world stage is one he didn’t want to pass up — especially after missing 51 consecutive games last season with a strained calf.

“There was a lot that went into the decision,” Towns told ESPN. “The timing is right. I didn’t put as much stress on my body this last season because of the injury. I’m feeling great now, I’m 100% and feeling like myself again. It’s a perfect time to work on some things in my game. And with my mom’s passing, I felt an urgency to do it.”

Towns came back to play eight games to close out the regular season, then two play-in games where he averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds per contest. That led to first-round playoff averages of 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in a series against the eventual champion Denver Nuggets, shooting 45.7% from the field and 25% from three in the five-game series loss.

“I wasn’t at 100% when I came back,” Towns said. “I wish our team was at full strength, so we could compete at the highest level and give them a better fight. They won it fair and square, but we weren’t whole. … [Minnesota was] very supportive when I came to them to talk about playing [in the World Cup]. There’s a lot of commitment to get better this season, and for all of us this will be a head start.”

“He is a player with a different caliber.”

The event is set to run from Friday, August 25 through Sunday, September 10 in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. 32 teams will compete for a chance to earn one of seven automatic qualifying spots in next summer’s Olympics. The Dominican Republic is set to play in Group A, which includes host nation Philippines along with Angola and Italy.

And Towns isn’t the only familiar face set to take the floor for the D.R., either. Former Kentucky center Eloy Vargas is a projected starter alongside Towns in the frontcourt, while current Dominican NBA players Al Horford and Chris Duarte are not expected to suit up in the event. The final roster will ultimately be trimmed down to 12.

They’ll be underdogs, but Towns suiting up gives the country a shot in pool play.

“That he is with us is a great contribution,” Dominican Republic coach Nestor Garcia told reporters, via ESPN. “He is a player with a different caliber.”

He’s clearly having a fun time doing it.

Karl-Anthony Towns got a warm welcome in his first practice for the Dominican Republic national team 🕺

This is his first appearance for the country after 10 years 🙌

(via @RDBSeleccion)pic.twitter.com/MjJ5Luyui6

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 14, 2023

Towns will make his D.R. return on Aug. 25 at 8 a.m. ET against the Philippines.

For the full schedule, click here.