New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast and praised Kyrie Irving. Towns is from New Jersey, the same area where Kyrie grew up, and reflected on Irving’s growth before declaring him an NBA legend .
“That’s my Jersey dawg. That’s my boy. You know what? I’ve known Kyrie since I was a little kid and I’ve seen the work he’s put into his game. I know everyone goes crazy when he does these layups and drills, but I’ve seen him do that since he was a little kid.”
“I’ve seen the hours he’s put in, I’ve seen the work, I’ve seen the drills. I’ve definitely stolen some of those drills to be able to better myself as a player. When you watch greatness, you study greatness and try to implement it into your game.”
“I have nothing but respect for Kyrie. I was lucky to see him when I was young, before the NBA and before Duke. To see where he is now, in my eyes, he’s a legend in the game.”
Towns and Irving both hail from New Jersey, a state that has produced many of today’s top NBA players. KAT’s new teammate Jalen Brunson is also from Jersey, as are elite players Bam Adebayo and Jaren Jackson Jr. Irving’s current Mavs teammate Naji Marshall is also from New Jersey, as is Towns’ former teammate Naz Reid.
Towns’ appreciation for Irving is not unlike that of many NBA stars for the master dribbler. They faced each other in the Western Conference Finals last season, when Irving’s Dallas Mavericks won 4-1 over Towns’ Minnesota Timberwolves.
They will no longer meet in the Western Conference playoffs after KAT was traded to the Knicks, but there is a realistic possibility that New York and Dallas will meet in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Last season, Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists, while Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists.