Chris Hine’s Wolves Insider: Serving Minnesota was always personal for Karl-Anthony Towns

The Timberwolves were in Houston last season, just before their annual pride night was scheduled in Minnesota. Before tip-off, I went to the Wolves locker room for pregame media access, which is usually an informal time between reporters and players.

The timing of Karl-Anthony Towns’ preparation schedule allowed for him to be in the locker room during that window. On this night, he asked me what he thought he could do in advance of pride night.

I don’t know how many members of the Wolves teams I’ve covered over the years know that I’m gay. It’s not something I tend to broadcast; I’m often hesitant to reveal it because I still don’t know how people will react, and I’m there to do a job, not get into personal details. Towns and I had talked about it over my seasons covering the team, so he asked for some advice.

As Towns returns to Minnesota to play Thursday for the first time since he was traded to the Knicks, this story is being shared because it also displays the extent of the impact he left behind.

He was always involved in the community, whether it was working with LGBTQ people, working to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated people, promoting his annual coat drive, or trying to help reform the criminal justice system in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Towns’ use of his platform as an NBA All-Star and his involvement in charitable work wasn’t just for show. There was always a personal touch to it, and he devoted not just his financial resources but also his time and energy.

Those are the reasons why the NBA chose to award him with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy as its Social Justice Champion for the 2023-24 season. It’s also why he left a legacy in Minnesota that goes well beyond what he did on the court.

That night in Houston, I told him the Wolves had been in Portland once on Trail Blazers pride night when star guard Damian Lillard took the microphone before the game and welcomed the crowd. He said how happy he was that everyone was there that night and felt welcome at the game.

Coming from the face of the franchise, it was a small gesture that could carry a big impact. For those in attendance, seeing one of the biggest NBA stars be inviting to people who might not be traditionally welcome in these kind of spaces was a signal that it was OK for you to be there, too. Most importantly, if there are young people who like sports or play them, and are struggling with their sexuality or gender identity in secret, seeing an NBA star say it’s OK to be yourself means a lot.

As the teams were warming up for the Wolves pride night on Jan. 12, Towns broke away. He went to get a microphone. He gave a quick welcome to the crowd. Nothing flashy, but like Lillard a few years back, it was an important gesture and signal that all fans were welcome, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

It was important for a few reasons. Not just because of the gesture, but what it meant in the context of Towns’ career and public image. People liked to take potshots at Towns on social media for his personality and for his tones of voice.

In particular, Towns gets accused of being “zesty,” which is just another way of calling someone “gay” without coming out and saying it. It’s the same thing, but it’s a more palatable insult on social media in the year 2024. It’s an awful side of NBA and sports fandom that exists. It perpetuates the idea that LGBTQ fans aren’t welcome in the league. It’s exactly why many believe the league and teams should hold pride nights and players like Towns should speak up if they want.

Towns didn’t care what people would say, and there were certainly mocking and negative replies on social media. He felt it was the right thing to do.

That night, Towns also gave his seats to Andi Otto, executive director of Twin Cities Pride, who took his spouse, Dana, and their two children to the game. Towns posed for a photo with them afterward. You could see the impact of Towns’ actions when Otto began getting emotional in an interview. In his comments, Otto was referencing a few past incidents with the Wolves that had negatively affected their reputation in the LGBTQ community: Anthony Edwards posting a video to Instagram in 2022 that featured homophobic language and, a few months later, Rudy Gobert liking an Elon Musk tweet that mocked the use of personal pronouns (both players apologized and said they didn’t mean to harm anyone with their words or actions).

“Those are things that these two kids will never forget and I can talk about to the community,” Otto said of Towns’ actions that night. “And the community is not always positive toward the Timberwolves, but we’re getting there, and things like that mean the world.”

Otto added: “Those little kids who want to play a sport, any sport, and they see an athlete like that, and it gives them hope that, even though they’re part of the community, they can still play major league sports. It’s monumental to see these athletes come out to say, ‘I support you all and I will stand here proudly next to you.’ That’s amazing.”

Small actions could have a major impact. Towns always understood that, and he always prioritized his social justice work even when it would have been easy to do nothing. He didn’t care what people would say on social media that night. He showed up to lend his voice and presence to the protests over Floyd’s murder shortly after his mother, Jacqueline, died of COVID.

Regardless of how you felt about him on the court, Karl-Anthony Towns always showed up for Minnesota.

Thursday, 8:30 p.m., Target Center

TV, radio: TNT, MAX; iHeart app

Wolves update: The Wolves have won six of their past seven games while compiling a defensive rating of 92.8, 10.7 points better than the No. 2 team over that stretch. Jaden McDaniels is coming off the first double-double of his career on Sunday against San Antonio, where he had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Knicks update: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 24.8 points and leads the league with 13.9 rebounds as he has shifted back to center in New York. Towns is shooting a career best 44% from three-point range. Guard Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks with 25 points per game and is averaging 7.7 assists. The Knicks come into Minnesota with the third-most efficient offense in the league and the 16th-rated defense.