Karl-Anthony Towns Gets Honest About His Faith After Knicks' Championship

Karl-Anthony Towns achieved an NBA dream, winning a championship with the New York Knicks, after seeming close to contending with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

A blockbuster trade swapped Towns for Julius Randle just a few seasons ago, and it paid off nicely for both the Knicks and Towns. He was a major part of the team’s wins in the earlier NBA Finals games against the San Antonio Spurs.

He didn’t have his best performance in Game 5 in San Antonio, finishing with two points and 10 rebounds, as foul trouble kept him out of the game for significant stretches.

However, Towns had multiple double-doubles in previous games, and was a key part of keeping Victor Wembanyama off his game, by playing aggressive, physical defense, and keeping him away from the paint.

More news:Adam Silver Makes Strong Statement on Victor Wembanyama Amid NBA Finals

During the team’s postgame trophy ceremony, ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” host Ernie Johnson asked Towns to share how “divine inspiration” was a big part of him winning the championship.

“You know, you work your whole life for this moment. Throughout my career, I’ve seen myself fall down. People tell me to stay down and I got back up, even when I was in the mud and I put my left foot in front of my right foot. I kept trusting God. I kept trusting my faith. I kept trusting the work,” Towns said.

“We this team. We always said since the beginning: ‘It is written.’ This was written for New York and we went and got it done today, because all the brothers here, because of the fans,” he said.

“I appreciate everyone, and y’all heard my story, and I just wanna say: Thank you, mama. I appreciate you getting me one!” Towns ended his speech with.

Towns lost his mother in 2020 due to complications of COVID-19, making for an emotional journey for the NBA star, who has shown his love and appreciation for her throughout this run. He continues to show how his strong faith has kept him continuing to pursue his dream even when he felt things might not work out in his favor.

The Knicks certainly proved themselves to be a powerful championship team, with a 13-game winning streak, back-to-back sweeps in the Eastern Conference bracket, and losing just one game in the NBA Finals to San Antonio by four points.

More news:Charles Barkley Clarifies ‘Dumb Basketball' Comment About Spurs' Collapse

For more about the New York Knicks and the NBA, visit Newsweek Sports.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 1:02 PM.