The 2023 FIBA World Cup has reached the end of group play and the start of the knockout stage. Team USA suffered their first loss of the tournament but still advanced to the quarterfinals. One team that will not be advancing to the next stage of the FIBA World Cup is the Dominican Republic led by Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns. After the Dominican Republic was eliminated from the knockout stage following their loss to Serbia on Sunday, Towns took to social media to pen a heartfelt tribute to all those who supported him and his country.

This was a significant decision for Karl-Anthony Towns to suit up for the Dominican Republic for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The national team has two other NBA players in the Boston Celtics Al Horford and the Sacramento Kings Chris Duarte, but both opted to pass this time around. This is the first time that Towns has played for the Dominican Republic since he's been in the NBA. The last time he played for the national team he was only 16-years-old.

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The Dominican Republic qualified for the tournament back in February when they knocked off Argentina, earning the final berth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Across the tournament, Towns averaged 24.4 points per game, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He shot 45.4 percent from the field, 39.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 92.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line. The Dominican Republic finished with an overall record of 3-2 with wins against the Philippines, Italy and Angola and losses to Puerto Rico and Serbia.