Karl-Anthony Towns described walking into Target Center for shootaround on Thursday morning as a “wild” experience.

He spent the previous nine years with the Timberwolves organization, calling that arena home. That’s still a title that belongs to the Twin Cities for Towns. Much is different about this trip “home” — different locker room, different uniform. He noted he didn’t even get to go to the Signature building at the airport when his New York Knicks landed in Minnesota on Wednesday. Then he boarded the team bus and went to a hotel.

That, though, is when things started to get familiar. Towns retired to his home that he still owns and was able to sleep there one last time.

“It was really a nostalgic feeling,” Towns said.

Everything about this trip to Minnesota figured to carry that vibe.

Just three months ago, Towns was a key member of a Timberwolves’ team fresh off a Western Conference finals appearance. Now, life is different.

On the floor, he’s on a different team in a different conference playing a different role. He’s back to once again being a full-time center who can dominate offensively against advantageous matchups while being taxed with the additional burden of primary rebounding and rim-protecting responsibilities.

Off the floor, he has a new home to adjust to. Sure, Towns is Northeast born and bred, but Minnesota is where he became a man. He watched teammates come and go — Towns noted Thursday morning he’s viewed many tribute videos of former teammates, and now will get one of his own. He experienced life milestones and tragedies.

Through it all, he learned to appreciate moments as they come — moments like Thursday.

“I just want to be in a place of life where I don’t look at life as glass half empty. I look at it as half full,” he said. “I just appreciate this opportunity to be back in a place I’ve called home and have so many great memories at, and to be able to play against so many guys I’ve actually played with. It’s going to be a cool experience. I just want to be appreciative of this moment, enjoy this moment with my family, my teammates, my friends and my brothers on the other side.”

Brothers with whom he still communicates regularly and supports from afar.

His girlfriend posted a photo on social media in preseason of Towns sitting at an event, watching a Wolves’ game on his phone. On Thursday, Towns called himself an “avid Timberwolves fan.”

“Just because the trade happened doesn’t mean I lost love for them,” he said.

That switch can’t simply turn off. Not after it’s been stuck in the “on” position — through thick and thin, good times and bad — for nearly a decade.

From the day Flip Saunders drafted Towns into the organization, the center has been all in on Minnesota. When asked for his favorite memories in a Wolves jersey, Towns cited a Kevin Garnett dunk, Derrick Rose’s 50-point game and a pair of iconic victories over Denver. All centered on the success of the team or his teammates, rather than himself.

As he reiterated, for likely the 1,000th time, on Thursday, Towns always wanted to be here, even when many others did not. Upon his arrival, he almost instantly felt accepted and empowered by the community.

“This place has given my family so much, not even from a financial aspect, just from a life aspect, the experiences I’ve gotten to have with this organization and the things we were able to accomplish here, those are things that you can never discredit, you can never lose love for,” Towns said. “I continue to see Minnesota as a home for me.”

And while he may no longer be in Minnesota — not most of the time, anyway — his impact remains. That much was evident this week, when former teammate Naz Reid talked about how Towns impacted who he is as a person. Others share similar sentiments.

In that way, the impact of Towns — one of the top-three greatest players in franchise history — will last for years to come.

“When I stepped here into Minnesota, it was always about amplifying my teammates and giving back to this community and helping the community, as well,” Towns said. “To be able to hear those kind of words from the next generation of great NBA players means a lot, but it also was my goal to amplify this organization and the players, the community, the staff, everybody in the building to make their lives better, amplify everybody so they could reach new heights in their careers and their lives.

“To be able to have those words said about me, it means a lot, I take a lot of pride in them because that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do is make other peoples’ lives better. I’ve said it before, I’m a servant leader. Servant-leadership is my leadership style. I’m here to serve others. That means I’m leading by example, and I’m leading really well.”

It didn’t go unnoticed. Thursday’s festivities provided an appreciative fan base with at least one more opportunity to express its gratitude.

Related Articles

Karl-Anthony Towns’ lasting legacy in Minnesota: The unselfish star who wanted everyone to be happy

Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert know what former Timberwolves teammate Karl-Anthony Towns can expect in ’emotional’ return Thursday

Timberwolves continue suffocating opponents en route to sixth win in seven games

Jaden McDaniels leads the way for Minnesota in defense-led win over Lakers

Defense is Rob Dillingham’s biggest area of needed improvement for Timberwolves