New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns uses basketball to serve communities that he feels have served him. This is a standard he devotes time and attention to uphold. By using his platform to pay his voice and resources forward, Towns pays back those who helped him become who he is now.
The Knicks’ September 2024 trade for Towns was a homecoming for the Edison, New Jersey native. He played for St. Joseph High School in the neighboring town of Metuchen. At 16, Towns began volunteering at REED Academy, a New Jersey program that aims to help autistic students reach their potential. It was how he gave back to the state that helped him become a five-star prospect.
Throughout his nine seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns consistently involved himself in local social justice efforts. He was a finalist for the NBA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award in 2022 for his efforts following the murder of George Floyd. Two years later, he received the honor for his role in the passing of Minnesota's Restore the Vote bill.
The center had begun strengthening his connection to his mother's home country before any of those efforts. When Towns was 15, he began representing the Dominican Republic in FIBA competition. His mother, Jacqueline Cruz, was born there.
Towns is open about his appreciation for the country that gave her life. He told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview that his mother's family is from the city of Santiago, which he “visited often when [he] was younger.”
Tamboril, Santiago is where Towns' latest community service project is underway. In partnership with several non-profit organizations, the Dominican-American NBA All-Star is building a new athletic facility for the local community. Towns began speaking with Dominican President Luis Abinader and the country's Minister of Sports, Kelvin Cruz, in January 2025. After several conversations spent connecting and workshopping ideas to promote youth sports, plans to construct the new facility were finalized.
“President Abinader of DR believes in our mission and is supportive in what we are doing,” Towns shared with ClutchPoints. “His support means a great deal and demonstrates we are taking the right steps to make this project a huge success.”
How Karl-Anthony Towns' basketball facility will help local community
Towns shared that “the facility [they] are building is nearby” the locations of those childhood visits, making things even more personal. GO Ministries, a non-profit based in Louisville, Kentucky, is heavily involved in the work. They, since 2017, have been building a 26 million dollar ‘Leadership Development Complex’ in Tamboril, located less than 10 miles away from the heart of Santiago. The new basketball facility is an addition for the organization, which has a full staff located in DR.
Towns became a global ambassador for the non-profit World Youth Clubs late in 2022. GO Ministries became a WYC affiliate in 2024, leading to the five-time NBA All-Star's involvement with both groups. This involvement now extends to their latest endeavor in Tamboril. The big man is confident that GO Ministries is the right partner to help him fulfill a long-standing dream.
“I have always wanted to make an impact with the kids in the Dominican Republic, and with GO Ministries, I am partnering with the right organization that has a presence in DR and understands the needs of the community,” Towns told ClutchPoints.
The new facility will offer the Santiago community a full-sized indoor basketball arena, training room, classroom, and community meeting space. GO Ministries declared in a release that workshops and events that “support holistic youth development” will be hosted.
Towns told ClutchPoints that those plans for the facility involve various athletic and educational activities. The goal is to give local youth a ‘third place’ fully designed to foster their growth.
“Baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball are just a few of the sports along with educational classes and strength and conditioning,” Towns began. “The impact is evident in the community as the next generation receives sports training from their mentors that view them as more than an athlete. They are spending hours in a positive environment and away from the distractions they face every day.”
Towns on “mission” to have Dominicans supporting each other
Towns first visited GO Ministries' Leadership Development Complex in August 2024. The official announcement of the new facility came one month later. Towns has made several visits to the grounds since then.
New York's star big man has made contributions in Tamboril beyond his own resources. His outspoken advocacy in meetings with President Abinader recently paid off in a literal sense for the project. In mid-September, the organization shared that the president had made a “generous financial commitment” to the venture.
The announcement was the caption of a post with multiple images, the first of which included both President Abinader and Towns. It included news that President Abinader's contribution left them with everything they would need to break ground in 2025.
The 29-year-old Knick described various positives from the process thus far to ClutchPoints. He said, “the response has been amazing,” from the local community, adding that thus far the project has been “really well received.”
Towns has made a habit of devoting time and resources to causes that benefit communities he wants to repay. Press releases and interviews on the subjects consistently reveal that he's both looking to help certain causes and inspire others to follow suit. Through GO Ministries, he invited “individuals, corporations, and organizations to join him in this transformative journey.” Those contributions will go toward “construction, purchase equipment, and support ongoing programs at the facility.”
Through representing the country in international play to aiding local communities from which his mother's family hails, Towns is forming new ties of his own to the Dominican Republic. As a result, he is making real steps towards achieving a major goal of his.
“Building the Karl-Anthony Towns Arena has allowed me to connect with my Dominican heritage and with all Dominicans,” Towns told ClutchPoints. “My commitment and mission is to have Dominicans helping Dominicans, and it is key we must lean on one another.”
