Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota) drew attention by revealing his will to participate in the World Cup.

On the 28th (Korean time), Towns appeared on a podcast produced by fellow Minnesota Timberwolves Austin Rivers, and expressed his desire to play for the Dominican Republic national team. FIBA (International Basketball Federation) also reported the news in detail.

Towns is the center of Dominican Republic nationality. He was selected for the U17 national team in 2011 and wore the Dominican Republic national team uniform for the first time. At the time, Korea, led by Lee Sang-beom, was placed in Group C along with the Dominican Republic, but was eliminated in the group stage after losing 85-95 in the head-to-head match.

Towns also played in the 2013 FIBA ​​America’s Cup메이저놀이터, but has not been called up to the national team since. Towns made his NBA debut by winning the Rookie of the Year award for the 2015-2016 season, only building Curry in the NBA instead of his varsity team.

“I want to play in the World Cup this coming summer,” Towns said on the podcast. It will be a wonderful experience for me. We are looking into the procedure for selecting the national team.”

The Dominican Republic has consistently performed well at the World Cup without Towns. In 2014, he reached the round of 16 in Spain, and in 2019, he advanced to the second round in China. With center Illroy Vargas and forward Angel Delgado in good health, Towns could be an ambush in the World Cup.

FIBA also said, “The Dominican Republic expects Towns to be a piece that will fill the missing points of the national team. The reaction of the local people is also hot. He was absent for a long time this season due to a calf injury, but he recently returned and scored the final goal.” Towns averaged 20.5 points, 1.9 3-pointers, 7.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 23 games this season.

Meanwhile, the World Cup will be held in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan from August 25 to September 10, and the draw will be held in Manila, Philippines on April 29.