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Towns wins Rookie of the Year honors ​


PhilBoxing.com




MINNEAPOLIS - Karl-Anthony "KAT Man" Towns ​was named the ​2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year​ on Monday.

The ​20-year old center, who received his award during a press conference at the Target Center, won unanimously and became just the fifth player on NBA history to win Rookie of the Year in such fashion. Aside from the Eddie Gottlieb trophy, Towns also received the keys to a brand new 2017 Kia Sorento which he can give to a charity of his choice.

​Gottlieb, whom the award is named after, ​is one of the NBA's founders who coach the Philadelphia Warriors to their first championship in the 1946-47 season.

​The 7-foot, 244-pound ​Towns was ​the ​No. 1 overall pick ​in ​last June​'s​ draft. A product of the University of Kentucky​, he joins ​Damian Lillard, Blake Griffin, David Robinson and Ralph Sampson​ among the unanimous winners of the rookie of the year plum.​.

Towns is the second Timberwolves players who received this prestigious award. Last year's ROY awardee is Towns teammate Andrew Wiggins. The first back-to-back awards in more than 40 years since Bob McAdoo in 1972-73 and Ernie DiGregorio in 1973-74 of Buffalo Braves.

​Known also as "​KAT Man​,​, swept all six Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards​, averaging ​18.3 points​,​ 10.5 rebounds and 1.68 blocks per ​in 82 regular season ​game​s​.


He received all 130 first place votes and 650 total points from sportswriters and broadcasters all over United States and Canada. Kristaps Porzingis of New York Knicks was second placed with 363 points and Nikola Jovic of Denver Nuggets was third with 59 points.

Towns appreciated and thankful to Timberwolves team-owner Glen Taylor and the entire organization for choosing him as overall number 1 and also to his Dad, Mom and sister.

"I owe a lot to our coaches and my teammates for their support throughout the year" Towns said.

Other ROY candidates includes Devin Booker of Phoenix Suns, Jahlil Okafor of Philadelphia 76ers, Justise Winslow of Miami Heat, Emmanuel Mudiay of Nuggets, Myles Turner of Indiana Pacers and D'Angelo Russell of LA Lakers.

Towns donated his Kia Sorento to the Charity of his Choice Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Minnesota Chapter. Debbie Saunders (wife of the late Flip Saunders ex-coach and President of the Timberwolves who died of Hodgkin's Lymphoma last year) received the said vehicle.

This award is not new to Towns, who he won SEC Freshman of the Year honors in College and 2014 McDonalds All-American award in High School.

Towns father Karl Sr who happens a Basketball player and a coach while his mother is Jacqueline Cruz-Towns native of Dominican Republic. The Young Towns signed a multi-year contract that pays him $5.7 million this season.

Tom "Thibs" Thibodeau the new head coach and President of Timberwolves Basketball Operations attended the awarding and praised the talent of Towns. Alan Horton the radio play-by-play voice of the Timberwolves hosted the events.

Photo: Towns, NBA Rookie of the Year 2015-16 (middle), GM Scott Layden (left) and coach Thibodeau (right).


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Daniel Quindao Guden.


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