Kyrie Irving sends strong message about Karl-Anthony Towns amid backlash toward Knicks center

The New York Knicks delivered an impressive performance this season, reaching the Conference Finals for the first time in over two decades. However, their elimination at the hands of the Indiana Pacers sparked a wave of criticism—most notably aimed at Karl-Anthony Towns. Now, NBA superstar Kyrie Irving has addressed the situation.

“Y’all gotta stop making fun of my brother KAT. I’m done with y’all,” Kyrie began in a video shared on social media. “Stop making fun of my brother KAT. It’s over. It’s a (expletive) wrap. I’m letting y’all know, if you repost that (expletive) again, meme him up, I’m attacking you. Not like that physically in GTA, but I’m attacking you.”

Towns has been under scrutiny since the Knicks lost Game 6 to the Indiana Pacers nearly two weeks ago. Since then, the center has drawn criticism for his performances, despite averaging a respectable 21.4 points per game during the playoffs.

But that’s not all—he’s also become a target for ridicule over his physical appearance. This intensified after former NBA player Gilbert Arenas made offensive comments comparing KAT’s physique to that of a WNBA player.

Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks

Part of Irving’s defense of Karl-Anthony stems from their shared roots. While Kyrie was born in Australia, he grew up with his family in West Orange, New Jersey, and Towns was born in Edison. That geographic connection has made the Dallas Mavericks guard sympathetic toward the center.

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“Y’all gotta leave KAT alone because y’all don’t know what it’s like to grow up in Jersey and have all of these cultures that you’re a part of, trust me on that,” said Irving. “Jersey is literally 130 miles long, it’s a very, very small state.”

Immediately after, Kyrie listed the challenges Karl-Anthony has faced in his life and the obstacles he’s had to overcome. “Leave him alone. Because he’s Dominican, he’s Black, he grew up in a certain area in Jersey, just like me, and you gotta survive out here,” said the 2016 NBA champion.

“You got many different demographics of people, so you gotta survive out here. I don’t agree all the time when he be changing up his tone sometimes, I don’t always agree and all that (expletive), that (expletive) be funny, but on a serious note, he is a man, he is my brother and I protect him all the time,” Irving concluded.