Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was only a part of the Kentucky Basketball program for a single season in 2014-15. However, it's clear that that one year, along with the guidance of former Kentucky head coach John Calipari, had a significant impact on Towns.
Towns reminisced about his time at Kentucky and spoke about what he took away from being a Wildcat during an interview on the Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday.
“In a way, [Calipari] made the NBA run through Kentucky,” Towns said. “When you're always seeing your Kentucky brethren out there, seeing them play well, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Julius Randle, we can keep going down the list, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles, all of these amazing players who have come through the Coach Cal program at Kentucky, it's a brotherhood.”
“He really made it a brotherhood,” Towns continued. “We really look out for each other. We always want to see each other do well. That brotherhood is no joke at Kentucky. When you go to the University of Kentucky, you truly are stepping into a family that you'll have for life.”
Under Calipari's leadership, Kentucky became one of, if not the top colleges in terms of producing quality NBA players. What Towns said though shows that it goes deeper than just getting guys to the league. When discussing the Kentucky brotherhood, Towns mentioned players that weren't even his teammates, showing just how big of a deal his one season in Lexington meant to him.
The Kentucky Basketball brotherhood in the NBA
Hearing Towns speak about how strong his connection is not just to his former Kentucky teammates, but to all Kentucky alumni in the NBA has to feel great for Kentucky fans. The Kentucky Basketball program is currently in a transitionary period, with current head coach Mark Pope approaching his first season at the helm after Calipari left to become the head coach at Arkansas. Even though it may take some time to get back to where Calipari had the program in the early-to-mid 2010s, where he was winning championships, making Final Fours and pumping out future NBA stars every year, it's clear that the Kentucky brand is still as strong as ever.
Towns may be getting a few more players to join him in the Kentucky brotherhood in the NBA. Two of Kentucky's recent stars were drafted at the top of the 2024 NBA draft, No. 3 overall pick and current Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard and No. 8 overall pick and current Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham.
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