New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is proving a lot of his detractors wrong in the ongoing NBA Finals, but none more so than his former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate, Jimmy Butler III.
After KAT powered the Knicks to a 2-0 Finals lead over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, fans on social media revisited Butler’s 2018 practice rant, where he reportedly chewed out Towns and Andrew Wiggins, calling the pair of youngsters “soft.”
In a twist of sweet irony, Andrew Wiggins won the 2022 NBA championship as the Golden State Warriors‘ premier perimeter defender—and now, four years later, Towns sits just two wins away from hoisting his own Larry O’Brien Trophy. Meanwhile, Butler remains ringless, despite guiding the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals twice.
KAT Proves Butler Wrong
“In the summer of 2018, the narrative spread about how soft KAT and Andrew Wiggins were after Jimmy Butler went to the media calling them out when he beat them with third-stringers during practice,” wrote Polymarket Hoops’ X account.
“Since then, Karl-Anthony Towns is now 2 WINS away from a championship, and Andrew Wiggins has already won one in 2022. Crazy how life works.”
First Things First’s Danny Parkins chimed in on the trending story.
“KAT was called soft by Jimmy Butler. KAT was traded for Julius Randle and parts. We all clowned him for calling himself the best big man shooter ever. And now… He’s outplaying Wemby and should be Finals MVP favorite. He’s gonna make the HOF. What a career transformation,” wrote Parkins.
Why Butler Insulted KAT
Before the 2018-19 season, Butler confirmed reports that he called Towns “soft” after he requested a trade from the Timberwolves. He was ultimately traded to the 76ers.
“A lot of it is true,” Butler told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols.
“I haven’t played basketball in so long. I’m so passionate. I don’t do it for any reason but to compete. All my emotion came out in one time. Was it the right way? No! But I can’t control that when I’m out there competing. That’s raw me, me at my finest, me at my purest. Inside the lines.”
Butler even admitted that he specifically targeted Towns and Wiggins, as he felt the pair of No. 1 overall picks weren’t playing up to their potential.
“Am I being tough on him? Yeah, that’s who am I,” Butler said at the time.
“I’m not the most talented player on the team. Who is the most talented player on our team? KAT. Who is the most God-gifted player on our team?Wiggs. … Who plays the hardest? Me! I play hard. I put my body [on the line] every day in practice, every day in games. That’s my passion. Everybody leads in different ways. That’s how I show I’m here for you.”
KAT has definitely shrugged off the “soft” label with his performances in the NBA Finals, specifically by outplaying Victor Wembanyama on both ends of the floor. He was even heard saying, “Can’t f**k with me” after dominating Wemby in the first half of the Knicks’ 105-104 victory on Friday.
The Kentucky alum is Charles Barkley’s pick for NBA Finals MVP.
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