Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks are entering a new period after the team hired Mike Brown to become the next head coach starting in the 2025-26 NBA season.
The Knicks moved on from Tom Thibodeau after their run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite having their best postseason since 2000, the franchise’s front office believed they needed a different direction to reach the mountaintop. As a result, they let go of Thibodeau after six seasons, who helped them return to playoff contention.
Towns appeared on an Aug. 18 episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. He reflected on the experience of meeting Brown for the first time, expressing optimism in the team’s championship potential moving forward.
“I just came from having a two-hour dinner with Mike Brown to here. So, I literally came straight from there to here. We never actually had a conversation with each other. So, that was the first time we actually met. We actually got to speak, talk about the team, you know, get to actually know each other,” Towns said at the 10:22 mark.
“When you get into this, we have a chance to win a championship and it’s only going to really happen if everyone’s connected and everyone has to be fully invested into each other and into our goals. So, kind of just really getting to know him, getting to know him, his people, you know, the way he likes to play basketball, the way he wants to coach, the way he wants to operate practices and everything.”
What Lies Ahead For Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
GettyJalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks huddles with his team during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
It’s quite surprising to find out that Karl-Anthony Towns never spoke with Mike Brown, even though their respective careers have involved potential interactions.
Towns has been playing in the league since 2015, while Brown has been coaching since 1997. He was on the Golden State Warriors’ staff under Steve Kerr from 2016 to 2022. After that, he served as the Sacramento Kings’ head coach from 2022 to 2024.
Which makes it ironic that they never conversed until they officially became colleagues on the Knicks squad. Despite that, it brings plenty of excitement towards the New York franchise on what they will look like moving forward.
Brown was responsible for elevating the Kings into the playoff contention, reaching the postseason in 2023. It ended a playoff drought that lasted from 2007 to 2022, resulting in him winning NBA Coach of the Year that season.
Brown also got to learn from the Warriors’ championship core under Kerr’s leadership. He won four titles throughout his career as an assistant. Three of them came with Golden State in 2017, 2018 and 2022.
That experience may prove to be beneficial for the Knicks, who aspire for title contention in the 2025-26 season. They retooled the roster as they significantly improved their bench depth. The squad added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, expanding their scoring, rebounding and playmaking in the second unit.
New York will see its preseason slate begin at home, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers. As for the regular season, the team’s adventure will start on Oct. 22, hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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