Karl-Anthony Towns' father couldn't be more happy for his son after he silenced doubters by winning an NBA title last season, including the New York Knicks star's ex-teammate Jimmy Butler.
"It only hurt me as a father to hear people saying stuff that was negative that wasn't true to bring him down," Karl Towns told The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski. "But in the end, it all paid up. Jimmy ain't got no championship. Karl bypassed him."
The younger Towns and Butler played parts of two seasons together with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Although Minnesota made the playoffs in its first season with Butler, the six-time All-Star continually butted heads with the team's young core, which included Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Butler asked for a trade ahead of the 2018-19 campaign and was eventually dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, Butler's feud with Towns continued after his departure from Minnesota.
During a 2021 matchup between the T-Wolves and Miami Heat, Butler called Towns "a loser" and "soft as baby shit."
“You soft as baby s---. I already punked you once."
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 8, 2021
Double-tech on Jimmy Butler & KAT for talking trash to each other. pic.twitter.com/r5m3DEJeu4
Looking back on his journey, Towns feels he and Wiggins are now vindicated.
"I'm just happy that those back-to-back Rookies of the Year in Minnesota grew into the men that people asked us to be, which was world champions," Towns said. "And we found a way to get it done in our own ways."
