NBA star Towns rubbing elbows with celebrities

MINNEAPOLIS » Celebrities lined courtside on Saturday night, with one popping up out of the corner of your eye or appearing on the Jumbotron seemingly every few minutes.

Look to your left, and there’s Sting and Shaggy sitting together, with Floyd Mayweather only a few seats over. To the right? There’s Tim Tebow greeting a throng of fans. Three rows behind the baseline, Guy Fieri was doing ... whatever it is he does.

But this isn’t the Staples Center in Los Angeles or Madison Square Garden in New York City. This? This was at the Target Center in Minneapolis, which was the place to be on Super Bowl eve.

Clad in an Eagles beanie and hoodie, it was clear Edison native and Minnesota Timberwolves’ third-year center Karl-Anthony Towns couldn’t have been happier.

“It’s very different,” said Towns, fresh off of dropping 22 points and collecting 16 rebounds in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. “Usually you come to the game, and we have a great crowd, a packed (house). But you’re seeing big-time names here all the time, and it’s amazing. It’s amazing what the Super Bowl brings to Minnesota, and we’re very fortunate.”

But once the Eagles and New England Patriots square off on Sunday night, the big names will make their way out of the frigid temperatures. Well, all but one big name, that is. Towns is in it for the long haul with the T-Wolves, and just as Minnesota’s been fortunate to have the Super Bowl, they’re fortunate to have Towns as well.

After honing his craft as a highly coveted prospect with St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, the-now-22year-old was taken with the first overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft after playing a year of college ball under John Calipari at Kentucky. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, and was just named to his first All-Star Game as a reserve for the Western Conference thanks to a year in which he’s averaging a doubledouble (19.9 PPG, 12.2 RPG).

And that’s all while leading a talented team that includes Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler to an impressive 34-22 record after Saturday night’s win, good for fourth-best in a deep conference and putting them on pace for the organization’s first winning record since 2004-05.

Towns is a big part of that, as evidenced by how he was relied upon in a challenging, marquee matchup against Pelicans superstar center Anthony Davis on Saturday.

“I thought he was aggressive; he had a tough matchup, so you’re always concerned about the fouls,” said Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau. “He played very aggressive, the rebounding was terrific and he was active. He made a lot of good plays for us.”

With the T-Wolves off until Wednesday, Towns’ teammates gave him some good-natured ribbing in the locker room after the game about his Eagles fandom as he was on his way out the door to greet some of the celebrities who were waiting for him out in the hallway, including rapper and halftime performer G-Eazy.

But, all of a sudden, he turned back around to grab something off of his seat. A Super Bowl ticket.

If all goes well, it won’t be the last big game he’s a part of.